Warpaint
by Come-manage-my-mischief
Summary: When Harry's younger sister is enrolled at Hogwarts a year early, she begins to unravel a web of lies that has been spun since before her birth. During her years at school in the shadow of her famous brother, Elena must learn valuable lessons about love, lust, trust, betrayal, and who she truly is. Countless lives depend on it. (Rating will rise for violence and mature content).
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

The girl sat in an old leather chair, hunched over, reading from the ragged, grayish, dusty black book that was resting in her lap. Her eyes were swiveling from side to side as she quickly scanned the pages for something that might give her a clue. Spying something, she stopped flipping rapidly through the worn pages and focused her eyes on one page.

"No... No it can't be true..." The girl said, shaking her head.

"Hurry up!" A voice said from the other side of the room. "Someone's coming!"

The girl looked up quickly as she heard footsteps outside the office door. Slamming the book back down on the desk, she quickly slid it back into the exact position it had been in before she'd disturbed it. Picking up her wand, she dove under the invisibility cloak that was being held by her best friend in a shadowy corner. They stood as still as they possibly could as they watched the wooden door of the office open silently. With a swirl of dust, Professor Severus Snape strode into his office, his cape billowing out behind him and his black eyes seemingly glowing with anger. He walked past them, unaware that he was being watched. In four long strides he was standing at his desk, glaring down at the seat the girl had recently vacated. He reached out a hand and placed it on the worn seat, as if feeling for some sign that someone had been there.

He spun around quickly, startling the two students hiding under the cloak so much that they both took an involuntary step back. His fiery gaze burned around the room, trying to locate what he could sense but couldn't see. He squinted, and then looked down once again at the chair. Under the cloak, the girl slowly reached behind her, groping blindly until she found her friend's hand, and she grasped it tightly. They watched as Snape leaned over his desk and took hold of the old, leather bound journal, his pale fingers spidering across the cover before he closed it gently. He closed the clasp, which resembled a writhing black snake with two emerald eyes. The eyes seemed to peer out at the two friends between Snape's bony grip. Snape looked around secretively once more, then stashed the journal deep in the shadows of his black robe.

He turned around once more and whisked out of his office, passing the two friends by mere inches as he slammed his office door closed. The girl slowly slid the invisibility cloak off of her head and turned to her friend, her eyes glistening with tears.

"What? Is it... Is it true?" Her friend asked quietly, worry and concern evident in their eyes.

The girl nodded, and suddenly her eyes turned fearfully determined.

"You mustn't tell Harry!" She said, taking her friend by the shoulder. "Ever! Please, if you love me you won't tell him! Not yet."

Her friend, her face etched with sorrow and pity, nodded.

"Don't worry, Elena. I swear. I won't tell him anything."

- **First Year-**

 **Chapter One**

The little house was not really a house at all, It was more of a two story shack, and the pathetic island it sat on dejectedly was more like a large rock in the middle of the sea. Angry wind that smelled strongly of seaweed was pounding and whistling through the gaps in the wooden walls, causing it to shake violently. The rancid wind also slithered under the crack in the door, making the stone floor cold as ice.

On that same floor, a pair of children, a young boy and girl, sat huddled together with an old blanket, riddled with moth holes, around their shoulders. The girl was watching the boy as he used his finger to draw an image of a birthday cake in the grime on the frigid stone.

"Wait, Harry, you have to draw candles so you can blow them out!" She protested, and with an unsteady hand, she drew eleven candles above the cake.

"Thanks, Elena, now it's perfect." Harry gave the girl a squeeze.

The anxious children peered at a cheap plastic watch that was fastened around Harry's skinny wrist. While watching the seconds tick by, Elena thought back on the events in her short life that had led her to this place, sitting on a dirty floor with only her older brother Harry for comfort.

It had been the letter addressed to Harry that had arrived the week before at their Aunt and Uncle's house. However, Elena supposed the blame couldn't be placed solely on the hundreds of letters that had burst through the mail slot and the chimney, both of which Uncle Vernon had nailed up in an attempt to keep the persistent letters out of the house. The truth was, strange things always seemed to happen around Harry and Elena Potter.

One of her earliest memories was one of her cousin Dudley]when she was about 'd been throwing chewed up baby carrots into her shabby, hand-me-down crib. She was in hysterics, but her Aunt Petunia hadn't paid any mind and had ignored Elena's pitiful wails as Dudley tormented her. Suddenly, in the midst of her crying, the carrots that lay strewn in her crib had lifted into the air and zoomed right back at Dudley, pelting him about the head until he ran away sobbing.

And that wasn't the only strange thing that had occurred. Just a few weeks before, on Dudley's eleventh birthday outing to the zoo, the glass barrier of a large snake tank that housed an enormous Brazilian boa constrictor had vanished completely, freeing the snake and causing panic.

Elena was yanked back to the present when she heard Harry take a deep intake of breath. She watched excitedly as Harry closed his eyes and released his breath in one long gust, scattering the dirt that formed the candles and much of the dirt that formed the cake as well.

Elena was about to clap her hands when a large cracking sound made her and Harry jump up in surprise. Another BOOM. The whole house shook. Someone was outside the door, knocking to come in.

BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley, who was sleeping on the moth eaten couch next to Harry and Elena, jerked awake.

"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.

There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"

There was a pause. Then - SMASH! The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. Elena shrieked and she and Harry jumped to their feet and backed up as dust from the floor blew up into their faces.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..." He strode over to the sofa where Dudley was still sitting, frozen with fear. "Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.

Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.

"An' here's Harry!" said the giant. Harry and Elena looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."

The giant looked from Harry to Elena.

"Ah," he grunted. "Elena, in'it? Lookit you. You were such a wee one, like a lil' pink, wrinkly molerat."

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.

"I demand that you leave at once, sit!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant. He wrenched the rifle from Uncle Vernon's hand, twisted it so that it was useless, and tossed it aside.

"Anyway," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys,

"Who are you?" Harry was standing protectively in front of Elena, and he was calculating in his head just how fast the monstrous man could pound him to a pulp. The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm, looked as if he were going to reach for Elena's, but then quickly pulled his hand away.

"I'm sorry, but we still don't really know who you are." Harry said as confidently as he could, reaching out to place a protective arm around Elena's giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."

"Er - no," said Elena.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," she added quickly as she cowered under Hagrid's fierce glare.

Hagrid turned to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It' s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"

"All what?" asked Harry.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"

He had leapt to his feet to stare down at the quivering Dursleys.

"Do you mean ter tell me that these kids knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"

"We know some things,"Elena protested. "We can, you know, do math and stuff."

"About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world?" Harry pulled Elena back from Hagrid, who was shaking in anger and seemed ready to explode.

Hagrid gave Uncle Vernon a withering look as he handed Harry a letter. Elena noticed that it was written in the same emerald green ink as the letters that had arrived at number four Privet Drive. Harry opened it quickly and held it before him so that Elena could read it as well.

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

 **Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

 **(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

 **Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

 **Dear Mr. Potter,**

 **We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

 **Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

 **Yours sincerely,**

 **Minerva McGonagall**

 **Deputy Headmistress."**

"Hogwarts?"Elena tried the words out in her mouth. "What-?"

"I don't know, Elena." Harry looked down at her. Then he looked back up at the giant, confused. "But magic doesn't exist."

"Sure it does!" Hagrid laughed. "And you, Harry, are a wizard."

Harry looked down at the letter, then at Elena.

"Wizard?" She mouthed at him, and he shook his head, just as confused as she was.

"Fine, take him! take them both, we don't want them anymore!" Uncle Vernon had recovered his voice and his face was purple with rage.

"You know just as well as I that the lass has one more year!" If Hagrid hadn't lost his cool yet, he was losing it now.

"She might not be here in a year, you- you oaf!"Uncle Vernon was squaring up his shoulders, trying to look as intimidating as Hagrid.

Hagrid took a slow step towards Uncle Vernon. His face had gone from an angry red to pale and calm. Uncle Vernon gulped and all the color drained from his face as he looked up at the giant looming over him.

"Is that a threat, Dursley?" Hagrid's voice was deadly calm.

"Y-yes, it is." Uncle Vernon stammered, taking a step back.

"Oh? And what's a great muggle like you going to do?"

"Just take them!" Uncle Vernon shouted with a mix of fury and fear. "TAKE THEM! I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TEACH THEM USELESS MAGIC TRICKS!"

But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid revealed a large, pink umbrella from under his large jacket and whirled it over his head.

"NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. Elena yelped and clutched Harry's hand as she saw a large, curly pig's tail protruding from Dudley's backside. Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. 46 "Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully.

He looked down at Elena, who was shivering nervously next to Harry, who was grinning up at him.

"Well, now. We've got ourselves a bit of a mess, ere, don't we?" Hagrid muttered, tapping his chin with the end of his umbrella and looking down at Elea from under his bushy eyebrows.

"What- what do you mean?" Elena asked.

"Why can't she come with us?" Harry looked worried, but looked up at Hagrid defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere without her."

Hagrid chuckled and his black eyes glittered. He dug in his giant overcoat and pulled out a rumpled piece of paper and what looked like a feather quill. He spoke out loud as he wrote.

 **Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

 **Given Harry his letter.**

 **Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**

 **Dursley threatened Elena. Taking her with us.**

 **Please get back soon. Unsure of what to do.**

 **Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

 **Hagrid**

He pulled what looked like a small, rather disgruntled owl out of a large inside pocket and tied the letter around it's leg, then opened the door and threw it out into the storm. He then took off his big black coat and tossed it to Harry and Elena.

"You two can kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."

Harry and Elena pulled the jacket over themselves like a large blanket.

"You two ready?" asked Hagrid. "Right, let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Elena, wake up! We're almost there!" Someone was shaking Elena Potter's shoulder roughly.

She groaned and pulled away from the hand shaking her. She had been having the most amazing dream. A giant man named Hagrid had shown up to the shack on the rocks and taken her and Harry away from her terrible aunt and uncle.

"Elena!" Her eyes popped open at the unfamiliar voice. She sat up and looked around suspiciously, unsure if this too, was a dream.

She was sitting in what seemed to be a train compartment. Next to her, Harry was talking enthusiastically to a boy sitting across from them. He was rather gangly and had flaming orange hair, freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. The two boys were surrounded by brightly colored wrappers of all kinds, and Elena thought she could see the back end of a rat sticking out of a red and white striped box labeled **Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans**.

Staring quizzically at the rat and rubbing her head where she'd been leaning against the window, she began to remember the last few weeks. Hagrid the giant really had taken her from the shack! After receiving a letter from the man named Dumbledore saying that Elena was to get her school supplies and would attend school along with Harry, Hagrid had take them to an amazing place called Diagon Alley. It was filled with shops and street vendors, people haggling over the prices of fish livers and golden cauldrons. Elena thought that even if she'd stayed there forever, she still wouldn't have seen everything.

As they'd walked through the streets, staring at all the incredible things for sale, Hagrid carefully told them about their parents.

"I never expected this," he'd admitted to the two of them. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, Elena, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone' s gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

He stopped suddenly as someone grabbed Harry's hand and shook it fervently, then sped off. Harry and Elena stopped, stopped and looked up at Hagrid, thunderstruck.

"Who was that?" Elena asked. "Why did they do that?"

Hagrid took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." He stopped and stared into the distance, as if the words he wanted to say would appear in the air in front of him, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"

"Who?" Harry and Elena breathed together, staring up at Hagrid.

"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"Harry was looking like he was about to burst, and Elena suddenly very apprehensive about what Hagrid was refusing to spit out.

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. "...All right - Voldemort. Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too -some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You, Harry, was just a year old. Elena, barely over a month… He came ter yer house an' - an' -"

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway… You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too, Harry. Stepped right over you Elena, being in yer mum's arms, and went right ter Harry. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it."

Hagrid looked down into Harry and Elena's eyes, rapt with attention.

"Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh- took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. . No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you. And who knows why he tried to kill you before Elena, but that why yer both alive, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age."

"I remember…" Harry whispered, and Elena whipped her head to stare at him.

"What do you remember?" Elena was racking her brain for any memory, any glimpse of what had happened that night, but she came up blank.

Hagrid was watching them both sadly, but he seemed to be looking through them, into a time Elena couldn't remember.

"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter the proper places-"

"Places?" Elena muttered, confused. "Didn't we both go to-"

"Here she is!" Hagrid's demeanor had changed to falsely cheery, and he spoke louder than was necessary.

Hagrid had led them to an enormous marble building called Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. He wouldn't let them speak any more on the subject of their parents, but in the bowels of Gringotts, Harry and Elena discovered the immense fortune of gold their deceased parents had left them. After a quick stop to one more vault in the bank, "Top secret, Hogwarts business," Hagrid had growled, they were back out on the street to get their school supplies.

"Might want to be pulling out that list of supplies, Harry, yer' gonna want to see what you need." Hagrid suggested. Harry pulled it out and began to read out loud for Elena's benefit.

 **UNIFORM**

 **First-year students will require:**

 **1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

 **2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

 **3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

 **4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

 **Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.**

 **COURSE BOOKS**

 **All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

 **The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

 **A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

 **Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

 **A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch**

 **One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

 **Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

 **Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

 **The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

 **OTHER EQUIPMENT**

 **1 wand**

 **1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

 **1 set glass or crystal phials**

 **1 telescope**

 **1 set brass scales**

 **Students may also bring an owl, cat OR a toad."**

"Wow.. That's a long list. How are we supposed to carry all that stuff, Hagrid?" Elena looked up at the giant.

"A trunk, o' course." Hagrid replied, revealing two large trunks on wheels.

Six sets of robes, two pointed hats, two pairs of gloves, two winter cloaks, two pewter cauldrons, two sets of phials, two telescopes, two sets of brass scales and many, many books later, Harry, Elena, and Hagrid were off to the last two shops in their Diagon Alley adventure.

Hagrid stopped the two of them in front of a narrow and shabby shop. Peeling gold letters over the door read **Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.** A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. A wrinkled, dusty little white haired man looked up from the book he was reading.

"Ah, it's Mister Potter, and little Miss Potter as well?" The old man looked questioningly up at Hagrid, who shook his head in a way that clearly meant 'don't ask'.

"Well, I daresay I was expecting you, Harry, but not you." The man said. "I must say it certainly is a pleasant surprise. Well, down to business, then." The man walked over and grabbed a few boxes off a huge row of shelves.

As Harry was trying wands out, knocking things off shelves and breaking glass picture frames, Elena walked around, looking at this and that. She had never seen anything like this before, and she wasn't sure that it wasn't all just a dream in her head. She was walking down a particular row of shelves filled with what she now knew were boxes of wands, ducking under some drawers and stepping over others, when she saw a little black box in the corner of the aisle. It was dusty and covered in cobwebs and old paper. It was obvious that it had been there a while, but curiously, the spot right next to it was clearly recently disturbed and had no dust, as if a box had once been there but had been taken away. Indignant spiders were scurrying around trying to fix their ruined webs.

Elena didn't know why the box had caught her attention, but when she saw it start to shake, ever so slowly, she knew why. It seemed to be quivering with some kind of anticipation. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Mr. Ollivander was still trying out wands with Harry, and he didn't seem to be having much success. She ducked quickly as something near her popped, and boxes of wands came shooting off the shelves and fell to the floor behind her.

Turning back around, she knelt by the box and dusted it off. There was a little silver latch, and by pressing a button in the center, it popped open. The inside of the case was lined with dark purple silk, and laying in that silk was a long, black wand, shimmering and shining. It was the most beautiful thing Elena had ever seen. She didn't know what made her do so, but slowly, using her index finger, she cautiously touched the wand, and it seemed to warm where her finger made contact. She gently picked it up by the handle, and held it in her left hand. The end that wasn't grasped in her hand glowed a bright white light, and the handle seemed to grow warm.

"Ah.. So it chose you. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever choose an owner." A voice from behind her whispered.

Elena bristled with shock and spun around. Mr. Ollivander was kneeling so close that he and Elena were almost nose to nose. Elena could see herself reflected in his misty eyes.

"Larch wood with a Phoenix feather core, twelve and a half inches and surprisingly swishy flexibility." Ollivander said approvingly.

"I didn't mean... It was.. Just..." Elena quickly put the wand back in it's case.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Miss Potter, as I just explained to Harry. Here, there's something very special about this wand, let me show you." Ollivander gestured for the wand, and Elena put it in his wrinkled, soft hand.

Ollivander took the wand and turned the handle side towards himself. twisting the handle, he pulled gently, making the wand grow another inch longer. On one side of this now exposed area, the wand was sanded down flat, but the other side was still curved in a half circle.

"This place here is where you can get your wand engraved with your name, or a symbol. There's only two wands like this ever made. A clever idea i thought at the time, but very few shared my idea." Ollivander huffed indignantly. "I just sold the brother earlier today." He closed the wand and handing it back to Elena.

"Have you found a wand yet, Elena? We need to go!" Called Hagrid from the front door.

"Umm, yes." She answered, allowing Mr. Ollivander to help her up.

She dusted herself off as she returned to the main room where Harry and Hagrid were waiting. Harry and Elena advanced to the desk and handed Mr. Ollivander some gold coins.

Back on the streets, Hagrid pointed to a large store called **Eeylops Owl Emporium**.

"That's our last stop of the day." He announced. "I'll buy yer' animals for yeh,"

"Oh, you really don't have too," Harry and Elena protested, but Hagrid hushed them with a wave of his hand.

"Nonsense, I haven't gotten your birthday presents yet!"

"September first is still pretty far away," Elena said quickly, "Really, Hagrid, we can get them-"

"That's less than a month away! No no! Yer only ten and eleven once!" He beamed down at the pair of children before him. "Let me do this for yeh!"

They were only in for about fifteen minutes before they were once again on the sunny street. Harry had chosen a white speckled owl named Hedwig, and Elena had chosen a pure black owl with a shimmery silver face which she had named Nightshade.

Their trunks filled with their school supplies, they'd arrived at the train station. Hagrid helped the two of them onto the train that would take back to the Dursleys for the remainder of August. He'd handed them an envelope.

"Yer tickets fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owls, they'll know where to find me... See yeh soon!"

Their last month at the Dursley's had been miserable. They'd acted like Harry and Lena didn't exist, but on September first, Uncle Vernon had begrudgingly dropped them off in front of Kings Cross. Completely alone except each other, being gawked at because of their owls, Harry and Elena struggled for almost an hour trying to find Platform 9 ¾. That is when they'd met the boy with flaming hair- Ronald Weasley, as well as his older brothers Fred and George, who were twins, and Percy, who was rather pompous. They'd showed them how to pass an invisible barrier onto the platform, and helped them load their belongings onto the Hogwarts Express.

Now Elena stared out of the train window into the darkening landscape. The train did indeed feel as if it were beginning to slow down. It came to a sputtering halt, causing the rat and the **Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans** box to fly across the compartment.

"Well, looks like we're finally at Hogwarts." Harry muttered, helping Elena up and ushering her out of the compartment. She filed along the aisle behind Ron, excited chatter from all over the train filled her ears. The three of them stepped off the train and were greeted by Hagrid.

"First years, follow me!" He boomed, giving Harry and Elena a wink. Slowly, the group of first year students started to follow him. they stopped when they reached a large body of water.

"I've read about this lake," a girl with bushy hair and slightly large front teeth said from Elena's right.

Elena stepped precariously into one of the small boat with Ron, Harry, and the bushy haired girl that had spoken. She sat down on the hard bench, facing the land that they had just shoved off from.

"Well, this is it." She thought to herself as she watched the land, and everything that she knew, grow smaller and smaller as the boat moved farther and farther away.


	3. Chapter 3

They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they tumbled out onto rocks and pebbles. Sighing, Elena grasped her brother's hand as she climbed out of the boat. She, Harry, and ron clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Elena's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide.

The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. Elena gasped in amazement, and she heard others do the same. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Elena could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. Elena shuffled in with Harry, and they all stood uncomfortable close to each other. She shuddered nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Elena quickly ran a hand over her dirty blonde hair and then down the front of her new black robes.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.

The first years began shuffling their feet murmuring to one another in anticipation. Elena felt someone brush up next to her turned to see a boy with slicked back platinum blonde hair looking at Harry.

"So," the boy said in a drawling, high pitched voice. "You're Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived… And she is?"

He looked down at Harry and Elena's hands, which were still clamped firmly together.

 **"My sister." Harry narrowed his eyes at the boy. The boy looked disinterested at the fact and looked back at Harry.**

"So it's true. They were saying all down the train that Harry Potter was here with us. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry.

Elena had spied two other boys that were standing on either side of the pale boy before her. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. By the way they were standing, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Elena was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough from behind Elena and Harry. It seemed like he was trying to hide a snicker. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly. Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potters" he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

"The only riffraff here is standing in front of me," Elena said angrily, trying to pull her hand from Harry's, but his grip had turned to iron, as if he'd guessed Elena's motive.

Elena had never been able to let taunts and insults roll off of her the way Harry had. She'd been in several fights and been bloodied several times at her old school. It hadn't been till one of Dudley's friends had broken her arm that she'd learned to resist throwing the first punch.

Draco Malfoy looked startled as he glanced down at Elena. He'd clearly forgotten she was there. The big boy on Draco's left that he'd called Crabbe took a threatening step towards her but Draco put up his hand.

"Don't waste your time on the irrelevant," he glared disdainfully at Elena. She was about to snap back when a cold voice filled the room.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. Draco gave one last threatening look at Harry and Elena before he slunk back into the crowd.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Elena got into line behind Harry with Ron behind her, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Elena almost froze with admiration as she stepped into the hall. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students.

Elena watched as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

Elena's mouth fell open as a blonde girl with pigtails sat on the stool and placed the hat on her head. The was moving! As Professor McGonagall continued to call names, and the hat shouted each first years house in turn, a terrible thought made Elena's stomach roll. What if she wasn't chosen at all? She wasn't supposed to be here to begin with, and it had only been because of Uncle Vernon's ominous threat that had made Dumbledore decide she could come a year early. What if she just sat there with the hat over her eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off and sent her away?

"Potter, Harry!"

Elena jumped and looked fearfully at Harry as he released her hand and moved to sit on the room was dead silent. The hat was placed on his head, and Elena saw Harry's lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. After what seemed like a very long time, the sorting hat had an answer.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table where Ron was now sitting burst into ear-splitting applause. Elena saw Harry sigh in relief and he jumped up to go sit at the table next to Ron. Elena's unease escalated when the next name on Professor McGonagall's list wasn't hers. The remaining students were called up, and Elena stood there as the number of students dwindled until only two were left. The boy named Draco had gone to Slytherin, along with his two large friends. The bushy haired girl was named Hermione Granger and she had gone to Gryffindor, along with a very nervous looking plump boy named Neville Longbottom.

"Zabini, Blaise!" Called Professor McGonagall.

The hat was placed on Blaise's head, and soon he was sitting at the Slytherin table, chatting with the other students. Elena was the only one left. McGonagall looked down at her list, then to Elena, and then back to the scroll. A flapping sound made Elena look up. An owl swooped down and dropped a folded piece of paper in Professor McGonagall's hand. She unfolded it, and her eyes grew wide.

She opened her mouth and announced. "Potter, Elena."

The room grew quiet once more. Elena walked stiffly to the stool. As she sat down, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"Another one, how?"

"I didn't know there were two-"

The last thing Elena saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was Harry's concerned face. All sound was blocked from her ears, and the sudden silence felt even louder than the voices.

"Ahhh..." A silky voice sighed into her ear. "Elena Potter."

" _Don't send me home. Don't send me home."_ Elena thought frantically to herself. Her hands were gripping the side of the stool so hard she was sure she would have splinters.

"While I won't deny you that you are indeed young," The hat said, "I am not going to send you away. What is Hogwarts, if not a home to every student that passes through it's doors?"

Elena had barely begun to sigh in relief when the hat gave a roar that almost made her topple off the stool. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. She took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table as there was a smattering of confused applause.. She was so relieved that the hat had chosen to let her stay that she could hardly think of anything else as she sat down between Harry and one of Ron's older brothers. It was one of the twins, and he patted her back as she settled in.

"Nice, we got both of em!" He said.

"Collected the whole Potter set!" The other said happily, and Elena gave them a shaky grin.

She could see the high table properly now. At the end nearest her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her a thumbs up. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat a man with a long silvery beard and half moon glasses. His eyes were twinkling as he looked around at the students.

"Albus Dumbledore," Percy Weasley said from across the table.

Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down.

Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry and Elena gave each other doubtful looks.

"Is he - a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy uncertainly when Elena gestured with her head to ask.

"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Elena?"

The Potter siblings mouths fell open. The dishes in front of them were now piled with food. They had never seen so many things to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs.

Elena was taking back her plate, now piled high with mashed potatoes, from Percy when someone said bitterly "That does look good."

Elena almost dropped her plate as a ghost rose elegantly out of a bowl of pudding on the table. He was pearly-white and slightly transparent and was wearing a ruff and tights.

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but Hermione Granger, who was also sitting across from Elena, interrupted. "Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed. "Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned and disgusted looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and turned to Elena once more,

"So.."

"Y- yes?" Elena's plate of potatoes fell from her suddenly sweaty hands and dropped to the table. Sir Nicholas smiled at her kindly.

"Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you." He floated past Elena and waited for her to stand up.

"Err, okay," Elena stood up uncertainly. "It's okay, Harry, I'll be right back,"

Harry was looking perplexed and had made as if to get up as well. At Elena's words, he slumped back onto the bench, but still looked concerned.

As Elena followed Sir Nicholas towards the head table, she could feel eyes following her. She straightened up defiantly and ignored the stares, hoping that she hadn't been wrong in telling Harry she'd be back.


	4. Chapter 4

Sir Nicholas led Elena up a small set of stairs at the end the head table. She followed him towards the back where the other students could no longer see them. There, behind the head table, a smaller table much like a tea table, and two chairs sat haphazardly next to a window. The looked very out of place, as if they had been placed there only moments before. Sir Nicholas motioned for her to sit down. Elena did, and Sir Nicholas glided away without a word. Elena twisted her hands in her lap and glanced out the window nervously, expecting the worse.

The window looked out onto a large black lake. Elena recognized it as the lake the first years had sailed across. The surface was as smooth as glass, and there was no sign that they had ever been on it only an hour before.

"Miss Potter," Elena looked up quickly to see Professor Dumbledore settling himself into the chair across from her. His eyes were shining mysteriously. Elena didn't know what to say. She swallowed and looked down at her hands.

"I can see that you're a tad nervous to be here, and not with your brother." Dumbledore chuckled. "I can assure you, there's no need to be worried."

There was kindness in his voice, with a hint of sympathy. Elena's stomach did a flip. She felt a sense of foreboding rising in her chest. Dumbledore continued to speak.

"Hagrid has informed me of your peculiar situation," Dumbledore went on. "As you are aware, students attending their first year at Hogwarts typically start once they've reached the age of eleven. You would not have received your acceptance letter for another year, but unfortunately the circumstances changed." He harrumphed and readjusted himself in the hard chair.

"Yes, Sir." Elena dreaded the direction this conversation was heading.

"The fact of the matter now is that you're here." Dumbledore smiled kindly at Elena, and a knot of tension began to loosen in her stomach. "You've sorted into Gryffindor - a superb house- but a few of our staff have expressed concerns about your abilities, given your age."

"I'll be okay!" Elena insisted. "I can do it, really, I-" Professor Dumbledore cut her off.

"I don't doubt you," said Dumbledore, making a placating motion with his hands. "And I've made it clear to the staff that they are to treat you no differently than the other students. However," Dumbledore leaned closer to Elena. "I had to repeatedly assure them that you are capable. I trust that you won't let me down."

"No, Sir." Elena said in surprise. He hadn't told her to leave! He wasn't sending her home! "I- I mean I won't let you down, Sir."

"Excellent!" Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Now, I hear the turnip pudding is delicious, why don't you go give it a try?"

"Yes, Sir." Elena rose to her feet and began to walk back towards the steps that led to the house tables.

"And Miss Potter," Professor Dumbledore called after her. Elena turned around.

"Happy birthday."

"What was that about?" Harry asked Elena as she sat down next to him once again. Her potatoes, amazingly, were still steaming. Elena proceeded to tell Harry and Ron what Dumbledore had said between bites of dinner.

"Which staff member do you think it was that didn't want you here?" Ron wondered after Elena had finished explaining her talk with Dumbledore.

"I don't know, but Dumbledore said that he thought I was capable." Elena glanced up at the teachers table to see Professor Dumbledore talking animatedly to Professor McGonagall.

Elena looked back down at the table to see the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, and rice pudding. Elena helped herself to some apple pie and listened absently as the conversation around her changed to the topic of family.

Almost lazily, as she was beginning to feel rather sleepy, She looked back to the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was still talking to Professor Dumbledore. A pale, gawking man in his absurd purple turban was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. Suddenly, as if sensing someone watching him, the hook-nosed teacher looked past the awkward turbaned man and straight into Elena's eyes. He was glowering, and the anger radiating from him was almost tangible. Elena looked away quickly, shivering from the man's icy glare.

"Ugh," Elena hadn't even realized she'd spoken aloud when Percy looked up, concerned.

"What is it?"

"N- nothing." Elena was trying to shake off was the feeling she had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Elena at all.

"Who's that teacher talking to the man in the turban?"

"Oh, well the man in the turban is Professor Quirrell. He teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts? And no wonder he's looking so nervous, he's talking to Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Elena watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at her again. At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Elena and Harry laughed, but they were some of the only ones who did.

"He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

Elena eyed Percy's shining prefect's badge that was pinned to the front of his robes. He had been actig rather haughty since she'd met him on the train.

"And now," Dumbledore said dramatically. "Bedtime! Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. As they were climbing even more staircases, they came to a sudden halt, Neville Longbottom hadn't realized that everyone was stopped and walked headlong into Elena's back.

"Ouch!" Elena muttered as her shin banged the stair before her painfully.

"Sorry, sorry!" Neville said sheepishly, but stopped immediately as he looked at the air above Elena's head.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves -show yourself! Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. "Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron, Slytherin's resident ghost, is the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed Elena and the rest of the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase -they were obviously in one of the towers - Elena found her bed at last: six four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains for each of the girls that had been placed in Gryffindor: bushy- haired Hermione Granger, a red-headed girl named Lavender Brown, an indian girl named Parvati Patil, a plump girl with an off-centered nose by the name of Eloise Midgen, and a lanky brunette named Fay Dunbar. All of their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

Over the next week, Elena discovered that there was a lot more to magic than waving your wand and saying a few funny words. In Astronomy, a class that had become on of Elena's favorites, they had to study the night skies through their telescopes and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Then there was Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost named Professor Binns. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. Professor McGonagall, their transfiguration teacher, was again different. She was very strict and clever, and Elena realized that she was not a professor to be crossed.

Quirrell's lessons in Defense Against the Dark turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, and when Elena had commented on it at dinner one night, Fred Weasley told her it was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. Quirrell had told them that his turban had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but no one really believed this story.

Elena was very relieved to find out that she wasn't mile's behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from non-wizarding families and, like she and Harry, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start. Her age didn't seem to be a problem either. Even at ten, Elena had been able to do her homework well and perform as well as most of the eleven year-olds.

On Friday, Elena had gotten up early and had made it down to the Great Hall. As she waited for Ron and Harry, she watched as an owls soared above her head to deliver a package to a lone Ravenclaw at his table. There was hardly anyone in the Great Hall this early in the morning. She had gotten used to the owls flying into the hall by now It had given her a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast. Nightshade hadn't brought Elena anything so far, but she flew in every morning to perch next to Elena and share some toast before going to sleep in the owlery with the others.

"Hey," a voice behind Elena made her turn. It was the platinum blonde boy named Draco Malfoy that had been so rude to her and Harry when they'd first arrived. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Elena, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Elena noticed that he looked stiff and awkward. His hands were shoved deep into his robe pockets and he was shuffling his feet. He was acting nothing like the surly boy she'd met before.

"I just wanted to say that- well I think we got off on the wrong foot before and-" His ears were going pink yet again and was fidgeting even more. Making amends seemed to be a foreign concept to him, and he was clearly struggling.

"I thought I was too irrelevant to be bothered with," Elena said, staring dully up at the boy.

"I didn't mean- you were being-," Draco struggled for words. "I only meant that-"

"Meant that I was irrelevant," Elena interrupted, turning back to her toast and her owl. "Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine sitting here by my irrelevant self with my irrelevant owl and my irrelevant toast-"

"I don't think that!" Draco snapped, causing Nightshade to screech indignantly and take off into the slowly turned back towards him. His whole face was pink now, but whether he was flushed with anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell. He spoke more quietly. "Not really. I didn't want Crabbe to hit you."

Elena opened her mouth to respond, but loud footsteps made her and Draco look towards the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Hey, Elena!" Harry and Ron were trotting towards them, panting slightly.

"Later," Draco walked away quickly to the Slytherin table as Ron and Harry closed in.

"Got turned around on the moving stairs," Harry groaned as he sat down next to Elena and began buttering a piece of toast. Ron sat down across from them and pulled some porridge towards him.

"What rubbish was Malfoy saying to you, then?" The disdain in Ron's voice was very clear. They hadn't spoken much to each other since their first day, but the few words that had been exchanged had been insults.

"Nothing important," Elena shook her head in bewilderment. What _had_ Malfoy been doing? Was he really trying to be friendly with her? But why?

"What have we got today?" She asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them - we'll be able to see if it's true."

When the two boys had finished, the three of them left the Great Hall to their first ever Potion's lesson. It took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and Elena shivered as she entered the classroom behind Harry and Ron. She saw the back of Malfoy's head- he was sitting with Crabbe and Goyle- and didn't turn around.

Elena sat down with Ron and Harry and placed her bag on the floor next to her. She looked up to the front of the room and stifled a gasp. Professor Snape was standing at his desk, surveying the room with a scowl. He was dressed in all black, and was standing so still that Elena hadn't noticed him when she'd first walked in. When everyone was seated, Snape spoke.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death— If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Silence followed this little speech. Harry, Elena, and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Once again, foreboding flowed through Elena. Things didn't improve as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. Harry paired with Ron, and Elena was paired with Hermione Granger. Snape swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was leaning over Elena and Hermione's cauldron, trying to find something wrong with it, when a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to melt his cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire? Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus Finnigan, a blonde Irish boy that had been partnered with Neville.

Then he rounded on Elena and Hermione, who had been working next to Neville. "You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's five points you've lost for Gryffindor."

"What?" Elena said angrily. "You can't blame me! I wasn't even his partner!"

"Five points!" Snape growled again, looming over Elena threateningly. "And you will stay after class!" This was so unfair that Elena opened her mouth to argue once more, but Ron kicked her behind their desk.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

When class ended, everyone but Elena packed their things away and began to file out of the dungeon.

"I was going to go down to Hagrid's," Harry whispered to Elena as he passed. "I'll wait at the top of the stairs-"

"Don't bother," Elena said sullenly. "I'll see you later."

Harry nodded darkly and he left with Ron, leaving Elena alone in the dungeon with Snape. It was silent for what felt like a very long time, although it could only have been seconds.

"Sir," Elena said with the barest hint of sarcasm. She was trying desperately to keep a lid on her bubbling temper. She didn't want to get even more points taken away from Gryffindor. Snape didn't respond right away, but when he did, his voice was even colder than Elena's had been.

"I told the Headmaster that you were unfit to be allowed into Hogwarts early," Snape moved behind his desk before looking up at her once more and smirking. "Your little outburst is evidence enough that you are not mature enough to be in attendance. I will, of course, inform him of today's events-"

Elena stayed silent. She knew if she opened her mouth, she would yell, and if Snape planned on telling Professor Dumbledore that she was too young and immature to remain at Hogwarts, she couldn't risk giving him even more to report.

Snape dismissed her, and she left fuming. She'd lost ten points for Gryffindor in her very first week! At the start-of-term banquet, Elena had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked her, but after this lesson, she knew she'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Elena- he hated her.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Elena had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady that marked the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, most of her anger had ebbed away. She knew Dumbledore wouldn't send her back to the Dursley's, and that continuing to dwell on it would only make her feel bitter for the rest of the day. She climbed through the portrait hole and was headed towards the girls' tower when a newspaper that had been left carelessly of the arm of a squashy chair caught her eye. It was The Daily Prophet, and a headline in bold letters read:

 **GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**

 **Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**

 **"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.**

July 31 was Harry's birthday, and she, Harry, and Hagrid had all gone the Gringotts that day. Was it possible that the break-in had been happening while they were there? Elena read the story again. The vault that was searched _had_ in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for? As Elena put the paper down and headed up to her dormitory, she wondered if Hagrid collected that package just in time. Where was it now?

Several weeks passed, and Elena's continued classes pushed any thoughts of the Gringotts break-in out of her mind. More important to her, in fact, was why Severus Snape seemed to hate her so much. He was nasty to all the Gryffindors, it was true, but he seemed particularly keen on making every Potions lesson absolute Hell for her. Elena noticed that Snape also seemed out for Harry- in their last class, he'd taken ten points from Gryffindor because Harry hadn't known the answer to a very difficult question.

Elena was unsurprised to know that Harry had also seemed to make another enemy: Draco Malfoy. While Draco hadn't gone out of his way to speak to Elena again since that Friday morning when he'd apologize, he often gave her small smiles in the corridors when they passed one another. It was a completely different story for Harry. However, much to Elena's relief, the Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so there wasn't much time for Harry and Draco to butt heads.

Several other events had taken up much of Elena's mind as well. Harry had informed her several mornings before over breakfast that Draco had challenged him to a duel at midnight. When he and Ron had arrived, however, Draco hadn't appeared, and they'd almost been caught out of bed by Filch, a staff member who had it out for students. In order to avoid him, Harry and Ron had hidden in a room off the third floor.

"A three-headed dog?!" Elena had nearly choked on the toast she was eating when Harry and Ron filled her in.

"Yeah, it was massive!" Said Ron.

"I think it was guarding something…" Harry murmured. "It was standing on a trap door of some kind…"

With the events of the last few weeks tumbling through her brain, Elena hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. She was planning on dropping her bag off in her dorm before heading down to the feast, for this morning she'd woken up to the amazing smell of cooking pumpkin; it was Halloween, her favorite holiday. However, as she looked up, expecting to see the portrait hole, she instead was looking at a small wooden door that was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Glancing around, Elena realized that everything, from the walls to the suits of armor lining the hall, was also covered in dust, as if this corridor hadn't been disturbed for ages. Elena looked back at the door. She definitely wasn't where she thought she was, but she couldn't be that far away, right?

"Maybe if I just go through this door, it'll take me right back to where I went wrong," Elena reasoned, reaching out for the door handle. "I couldn't have taken _that_ many wrong turns."

Slowly, Elena pushed the old door open. The hinges let out low creaks, unused for so long that Elena had to put a significant amount of effort into her shove just to create a gap large enough to fit through. Sucking in her stomach, she squeezed through the gap she'd created and emerged into a very dark room. The dim light from the crack in the doorway cast an eery glow around the room, making the fixtures it illuminated cast strange shadows.

"Lumos," Elena whispered, and the tip of her wand began to glow, lighting up the room in a dull white light. Keeping her wand held aloft, Elena took tentative steps into the room, gazing around in wonder and confusion.

As far as she could tell, it looked like a small bedroom. To her right was a large bookshelf, covered in just as much dust as the corridor outside had been. It was filled to the brim with books, and when Elena moved closer, it seemed to her as if they were all children's books. Curious, she pulled a book from the shelf and brought her wand closer to read the title. It's spine too, was covered in dust, but the cover was free of grime. The title read **The Tales of Beedle the Bard**. Elena opened the book and flipped through the pages. It looked to be a collection of short children's tales with names such as _The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump,_ and _The Warlock's Hairy Heart._

Elena closed the book and placed it back on the shelf before turning to look around some more. Along with the small room contained a child's crib, a worn, threadbare sofa, and a set of drawers. She moved to the drawers and slowly opened the top compartment. It was empty, as were the second and third. Expecting to find nothing as she had with the first three, Elena opened and closed the fourth and final drawer without glancing inside.

A clattering sound from within made her open it again quickly. Inside, gray with age but oddly clear of dust and grime, were dozens of glass vials, all lined up in rows from that went from the front to the back along one half of the compartment. With a gentle hand, elena lifted one out of it's stand and brought it closer to her face. The vial had a cork stopper in it, and was filled with a milky, silvery substance. Turning it in her fingers, Elena felt a roughness under her thumb. It was a label stuck to the outside of the glass. In heavy handwriting was written _**December 5, 1981.**_ Elena noticed that the vials closest to the middle of the drawer seemed to be clearer. Sure enough, the dates written on these were much more recent. _**August 13, 1991**_ was written in black ink on the last vial in the row.

Elena carefully placed the vial back into its stand and was about to close the drawer when she saw something glimmer out of the corner of her eye. Lowering the tip of her wand into the compartment so that it illuminated all four corners, she spied what had caught her eye. Pulling it out, Elena saw that it was a small key, no longer than the first two knuckles of her pinky finger. While the thin silver chain that looped through a hole at the top was rusted and dull, the key itself shone brightly in the light of her wand. It was entrancing- Elena stared as it twisted slowly, reflecting the light into the rest of the room.

 _CRASH!_ Elena was jolted back to her senses at the sound of many metal objects toppling to the floor right outside the door. Shoving the key and chain into her bookbag, Elena shut the bottom drawer quickly and ran to peek around the edge of the doorway. A high pitched giggle echoed through the narrow corridor, and as she looked around the door she could see Peeves the Poltergeist zooming down the hallway and out of sight. On the floor barely five feet away from the entrance to the room lay a suit of armor- Peeves had clearly knocked it over for a bit of fun or to aggravate Filch, and Elena had to get out of here before he showed up!

Elena waited a moment more, just to make sure Peeves had really gone, and then quickly exited the room, closing the door behind her before running through the corridor Peeves had just disappeared down. She had no idea how much time she had spent in the little hidden room, and so when she returned to a familiar hallway of the castle, she turned towards the Great Hall instead of Gryffindor Tower- she would just have to bring her bookbag to the Halloween feast.

She realized she'd made the right decision as she reached the Great Hall- excited voices filled the air, and as she entered, her jaw dropped in amazement. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins that lined the walls and floated in the air stutter. The enchanted ceiling showed a clear, black sky filled with millions of stars and a large full moon.

"Elena!" She tore her eyes from the decorations and saw Harry and Ron waving her over to them at the Gryffindor table. It was already piled high with food. Elena's stomach growled at the sight of it all. She must've been in that room much longer than she'd thought.

"Where were you?" Ron asked as Elena squeezed in between them on the bench. "And why do you still have your bag? It's been hours since our last class!"

"I found something," Elena started, and was just about to explain where she had been and the mysterious things she'd found when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.

Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped,

"Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence. "Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Harry, Ron, and Elena looked at each other in shock as everyone around them scrambled to their feet in fear.

"Follow me!" Percy was on his feet and shouting over the din. "Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

"He can't have," Elena said over her shoulder to Ron and Harry. "I only just saw him ten minutes ago!"

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Elena heard Harry gasp in shock.

"I've just thought - Hermione!"

"What about her?" She heard Ron ask.

"She doesn't know about the troll!"

It took Elena several moments to realize that Harry and ron were no longer behind her.

"Harry?" She turned just in time to see the back of Ron's ginger head disappear around a corner. "Ron!"

Ducking down to avoid Percy's attention, she joined a group Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off in the direction she'd seen Ron go. She had just turned a corner when she heard quick footsteps behind her.

"Percy!"She hissed through her teeth as she jumped behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, she saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view. "What's he doing?" Elena whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

Quietly as possible, she crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. She followed him up several flights of stairs, always keeping a corner between herself and him. She was just slipping behind yet another statue when Snape stopped abruptly. He was standing before large wooden door. He pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. However as Elena watched Snape pull his wand from his robes, she swore she could hear something from the other side ofthe door give a menacing growl.

"Like a dog…" Elena murmured. But why would there be a dog in the castle if-

Elena clamped her hands in front of her mouth to keep from gasping. A dog, of course! Ron and Harry had said they'd run into a three-headed dog in a room on the third floor! Elena racked her brain in order to recall the rest of that conversation as Snape waved his wand at the door.

"Alohomora!" There was a loud CLANK and the door swung open. Elena watched was Snape strode into the room, unconcerned with the growls that grew louder and louder. What had Harry said the dog was doing there? Elena slapped her forehead in frustration with herself.

"Come _on_!" She gritted her teeth so that she wouldn't yell in anger. "Come _on_ , Elena! Remember!"

It came to her so suddenly that she had to steady herself on the statue before her. It was guarding something! Harry said it had been standing over a trap door or something like that! Could that be why Snape was here? Was it possible that it had been _Snape_ who had let the troll in as a distraction so that he could get whatever the dog was guarding?

Somehow Elena felt very sure that this was indeed Snape's goal, and she was overcome with a wave of anxiety. She had to tell someone! She was just about to leave her hiding spot to run down the corridor towards Gryffindor Tower when running footsteps made her duck back out of sight. Professor Quirrell was sprinting down the hallway towards her. He froze when he saw the open doorway and heard the barks and growls coming from within. Slowly, he stepped into to room.

Elena saw her chance and she took it. As silently as she could, she rushed down the corridor and down a flight of stairs. She had just reached the portrait of the Fat Lady when a voice behind her made her turn.

"Elena? What are you doing?" Harry and Ron were climbing the stairs to the tower. Both were sweaty and dishevelled. As they reached her, a strong, putrid smell rolled off them.

"I saw you leave," Elena covered her nose with her robes. "I tried to follow you! Where did you go?"

"Well… We realized Hermione wasn't with us, and Parvarti told us she'd been in the girl's bathroom," Ron said. "And we thought we'd better go find her." Elena had the sense that he wasn't telling the whole story, but she didn't press it.

"The troll was there!" Harry said quickly. "Ron knocked it out with it's own club!" Harry looked excited and a little shellshocked. "Wait… You said you were trying to follow us. Where did you go?"

Elena quickly recounted where she'd been and what she saw Snape do. "I think he's trying to get to whatever that dog is guarding!"

Harry and Ron exchanged significant looks but said nothing as the three of them entered the tower. The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Harry and Ron moved to go talk to Hermione Granger, who looked to be waiting for them. Elena made her way through the crowd and climbed up to the girl's dormitory. She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, her head was so filled with the day's events, but as she climbed into bed and pulled the duvet up to her chin, she fell instantly asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. Elena couldn't believe how fast time seemed to be going by- months felt as if they were passing like days.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons. Snape had been particularly nasty in the beginning of November. He'd been walking with a severe limp for weeks, and when Elena commented on it during dinner one night, she found that Harry and Ron shared her suspicions.

"I'd bet anything that he got scratched by that dog trying to break into the trap door!" Ron had exclaimed before being hushed by Hermione.

Ever since Halloween, Hermione had been spending a lot of time with Harry and Ron. Elena liked her well enough. She was incredibly bright, albeit bossy.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione scoffed. "Why would he do that? He works for Dumbledore! It's his job to _protect_ everything in this castle!"

However, they hadn't had much time to think about Snape's behavior as their classes continued. Elena was kept even more busy helping Harry with his work. He'd been selected to be the Gryffindor Quidditch team's newest seeker, and he was training every single night. In mid-November, Harry's team had beaten Slytherin in a landslide win, causing the Slytherin's to be merciless in their taunts.

During breakfast one chilly morning, Elena had overheard a group of Slytherin girls giggling at their table as she passed them. "I do feel so sorry," said Pansy Parkinson,a pug-nosed girl who spent most of her time with Crabbe and Goyle, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

It was true that she and Harry weren't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Elena and Harry had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

Elena had also been staying busy in the library with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Those three had been down at Hagrid's cabin one day while Elena was finishing homework in the common room, and they'd arrived breathlessly a few hours later, saying that Hagrid had let slip a name: Nicholas Flamel.

So they'd been searching books for Flamel's name ever since, spending every ounce of spare time in the library because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.

However, once the holidays had started, Ron, Elena, and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. She had the dormitory to herself- all the other girls had gone home- and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. Ron also started teaching she and Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family.

On Christmas Eve, Elena went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When she woke early in the morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of her bed.

Elena picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Elena, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Elena blew it - it sounded a bit like an owl. A second, very small parcel contained a note.

 _ **We received your message and enclose your Christmas present.**_

 _ **From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.**_

Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece. "That's friendly," said Elena, rolling her eyes and tossing the coin onto her bedside table. Next she picked up a very lumpy parcel. Another note was attached to this one.

 **Dear Elena,**

 _ **I didn't know what color you liked best, but I thought this would bring out your eyes.**_

 _ **Have a very happy Christmas, Dear!**_

 _ **Molly Weasley**_

Elena had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in a grayish blue with a large letter E emblazoned on the front. There was also a large box of homemade fudge.

"That's really nice of her," said Elena, feeling the corners of her eyes sting. She shook her head and tried the fudge, which was very tasty. After pulling the sweater on, she opened her next two presents. They also contained candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione and several boxes of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans from Harry.

Thinking she'd opened all of her presents, Elena flung her covers aside and hopped out of bed. There was a small thud, and Elena looked down at the floor. A very small parcel was lying halfway under her bed where the force of her blankets had sent it. Elena picked it up and examined it slowly. It was wrapped in old Daily Prophet pages and tied with plain brown twine.

Slowly, Elena unwrapped it and lifted the lid. Inside lay the most beautiful necklace Elena had ever seen. Picking it up from it's simple silver chain, Elena saw a small, glittering emerald inlaid in even smaller diamonds.

"Wow," Elena breathed as the necklace spun, catching the light and making it dance around the room. She unclasped the chain and reattached it behind her neck before searching through the discarded wrapping paper for a note. After several minutes, she gave up. Glancing in the mirror by her bed, Elena smiled at what she saw.

Mrs. Weasley's sweater did indeed bring out her dark, gray-blue eyes, and the small pendant glimmered right below her neck. Nodding once, Elena pulled on her slippers and went to go wait in the common room for Harry.

Elena had never in all her life had such a Christmas. At the lunch feast there were a hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Elena pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.

Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Elena watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Elena's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat Elena, Harry, and Ron finally left the table, she was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers.

Elena, Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Elena cheered Harry on as he broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. She suspected Harry wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much. After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. It had been Elena's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of her mind all day.

"Harry," Elena and her brother were sitting on a couch in front of the fire, beside them, Percy and Ron were having a go at chess and the twins were experimenting with some of the crackers they'd smuggled from the Great Hall. "I need to show you something."

As Harry watched, Elena slowly pulled her necklace out from where it had slipped underneath the neckline of her sweater. "Someone sent me this for Christmas but- I don't know who."

Instead of looking worried or concerned,or any of the other reactions Elena had been expecting, Harry smiled. "I got something like that too!"

"What?"

"It's an invisibility cloak," Harry said in a hushed tone. "When I put it on, I turn completely invisible. I don't know who it's from, either."

"Yours didn't come with a note or anything either?" Instead of feeling relieved, Elena felt cautious.

"No, it had a note… it said that it had belonged to dad, and that it's about time I had it." Harry leaned closer to Elena to look at the necklace. "Yours didn't come with anything?"

Elena shook her head.

"I bet it's the same thing," Harry said confidently. "I'm sure whoever sent me the cloak sent you that necklace. Don't worry about it."

Elena did, however. As she climbed into bed that night, all she could think about was her necklace and Harry's cloak. Had they been sent by the same person? If so, why hadn't she gotten a note as Harry had? If the cloak had belonged to their father, could it be possible- Elena hardly dared to hope- that this necklace had belonged to their mother? Her mind reeling and her stomach filled with turkey, Elena drifted into a fitful sleep.

For the rest of the Christmas holiday, the necklace stayed hidden under Elena's shirts. It was partly because she didn't want anyone asking questions about it that she couldn't answer, and partly because every time she looked at it, it's green gem catching the light, she felt uneasy.

Hermione, who came back the day before term started, was aghast that Elena, Harry, and Ron hadn't kept looking for information about Nicholas Flamel. She forced them into the library every day until term started again, and then, every time she caught Elena or Ron doing anything but schoolwork, as Harry was busier than ever with Quidditch practice.

One evening in a rare, work free moment in the common room, Elena heard Harry gasp. He was staring at the back of a Chocolate Frog card.

"Harry, what is it?" Elena asked, concerned. He looked up at Elena,Ron and Hermione.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! Listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework. "Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

Elena, Harry, and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. "I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, gaping at Hermione and then Elena, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Elena, mystified. Hermione ignored her.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.

"The what?" said Elena, Harry and Ron together.

"Oh, honestly, don't any of you read? Look - read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and the three of them read: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

"See?" said Hermione, when the three others had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Elena, and the others nodded. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"


	7. Chapter 7

Elena didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went over the next few weeks. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, trying to catch her on her own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to both Elena and Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone? Elena didn't see how he could - yet she sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

After one such Potions lesson, in which Snape had taken five points from Gryffindor because Elena had been chatting idly with Draco Malfoy, who she'd been paired with, Elena stormed back up to her dormitory and threw her bag at her bed in frustration.

The bag, which was strained at the seams to begin with, burst open, the seams giving up their struggle to stay sewn together. Books, quills, and spare parchment scattered across the floor, and Elena yelled angrily to keep from crying. Why did Snape hate her so much? It wasn't fair! She'd only been talking politely to Malfoy- Snape was the one who'd paired them together in the first place!

She sighed and began to pick up her scattered belongings. As she gathered books, parchment, and quills to her, she spied a glimmer under her bed and pulled it out. Twisted around a very disheveled quill was the old rusted chain and key that Elena had found on Halloween. She'd completely forgotten that she'd thrown it into her bag!

She did her best to untangle it carefully, but she broke the quill in the process. Gently, she pulled the shiny key off of the old chain and pulled her necklace out from under her jumper. She unclasped it and threaded the necklace chain through the hole in the key before fastening it behind her neck again. The key rested next to the gem nicely- the silver made the emerald seem to glitter even more brightly.

Feeling uneasy, Elena finished gathering her things from the floor and placed them along with her now useless bag on the set of drawers next to her bed. She'd have to ask Hermione to fix her bag next time she saw her. She felt claustrophobic all of a sudden, and she headed down to the common room, intent on a brisk walk outside in the chilly air.

"Elena, where are you going?" Elena had just reached the portrait hole when a voice made her turn. Hermione was sitting behind a pile of books so tall that Elena hadn't even seen her as she'd passed.

"I was just headed outside for a bit…" Elena stopped when she saw the disapproving look on Hermione's face.

"You _should_ be studying for the exams." Hermione huffed.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away."

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Elena reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry, Elena and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work. Elena felt particularly bad for Harry, who, along with homework, had to juggle Quidditch practice as well.

During one of their many study sessions in the library, Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St-"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Elena, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you later, then," said Harry. Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully."Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told us so the first time we ever met him, " said Harry, and Elena nodded, recalling the conversation.

"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"Okay, listen," Elena said quietly. "You guys go down to Hagrid's hut later and figure out what he's up to. I'll stay here keep trying to find out more about the Sorcerer's Stone."

That evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came bustling into the common room. Elena was sitting at a table with a large book about alchemy open before her. They came and sat around her, their eyes wide. They kept gesturing at one another to speak.

"Will one of you just spit it out already?" Elena snapped, and Hermione sighed.

"He's got one," she said, and Elena gasped. Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. "He's got an egg."

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry, Elena, and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.

Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry a note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching. Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing-"

"Shut up!" Elena whispered. Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Elena didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all. While she and Malfoy were on amicable terms, he and Harry loathed each other. She didn't know if he'd stay quiet to keep her from trouble if it meant getting to Harry. She certainly wouldn't bet on it.

Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break, as long as Elena went straight up to the common room to make flash cards for the rest of them to study when they got back. Elena sighed but begrudgingly agreed.

Once again, Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived in the common room and surrounded Elena, but they only had a few words to say.

"Malfoy saw it," Harry muttered darkly. "Malfoy saw the dragon."

The next Sunday morning, Elena woke up to Parvarti comforting Lavender in the bed next to her. Lavender was crying.

"Lavender, what's wrong?" Elena asked gently. Parvarti gave Elena a dirty look.

"Why don't you ask you brother?" She spat, and Elena was taken aback. Parvarti had always been very nice to her up until now. Dressing quickly, Elena made her way out of the portrait hole and towards the Great Hall.

When she passed the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points, she stopped. The Gryffindor one was nearly empty! Elena thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then, as she entered the Great Hall, it was all clear. Just from the whispers she picked up on her way to the Gryffindor table she learned that it was Harry who had lost them all those points, him and Hermione and Neville Longbottom.

"Harry," Elena said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. He, Neville, Ron, and Hermione were sitting alone, the other Gryffindors were giving them a wide berth. "What happened?"

Harry pushed her hand off roughly "Why don't you go ask you stupid little Slytherin friend?" He said venomously, and Elena was so surprised that she took a step back.

"Wh- what?"

"Malfoy." Hermione said dejectedly. Ron and Harry glared up at her.

"What're you mad at me for?" Elena could feel her face getting hot, and her voice was raised in indignation. "I haven't done anything!"

"He was coming over to talk to you!" Ron snapped, his face flushing as red as his hair. "That's the only reason he heard us!"

Elena could feel tears stinging her eyes. This was so unfair of them to be mad at her. She didn't even know what had happened and they were blaming her for it. Before they could see her cry, she stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Hey, Elena!" Elena stopped and spun around furiously. Draco Malfoy was so surprised by the look on her face that he stopped a few feet away from her.

"What?" Elena crossed her arms angrily.

"I just wanted to talk-"

"What could you possibly have to say that would make me want to talk to you?" Elena closed the distance between them so that she was glaring up at his face. "You told someone, didn't you? I thought we were friends!"

"You- you did?" Draco was stunned.

"Yeah, well, obviously you didn't think so." This realization made Elena's eyes sting even more. She turned to go.

"I-I'm sorry-" Malfoy took a step back, color draining from his face.

"No you're not," Elena's voice was so cold, it could have put out a fire. "You're only sorry that you got fifty points taken away from Slytherin, too."

Elena stormed away back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry, Ron, and Hermione wouldn't speak to her.

"They'll get ov'r it," Hagrid said one evening as she joined him for tea and told him what was happening. "They're jus' upset at 'emselves and are tryin' ter find someone else ter blame- you ain't done nothin' wrong."

Even so, Elena was lonely. She was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she had to do kept her mind off his misery. Elena spent every evening working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Elena heard something that made her blood run cold. Walking back from the library one afternoon, she heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As she drew closer, she heard Quirrell's voice.

"No - no - not again, please -" It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Elena moved closer. "All right - all right -" she heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Elena didn't think Quirrell had even noticed her. She waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Elena remembered Halloween night when Professor Quirrell had followed Snape into the room Fluffy was guarding. Did Quirrell know how to get past the dog? She had a disturbing hunch that Snape had just left the room, and from what she had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step -Quirrell seemed to have just given Snape the answer he was looking for.

Elena wanted desperately to tell someone what she'd heard, but every time she approached Harry, Ron, or Hermione, they got up from what they were doing and left the room.

"Please!" She called after Ron as he walked away from her in the library one afternoon. "Please, it's important!"

"More important than being friends with Malfoy?" He growled back.

"Ron!" Elena cried in frustration.

"SHHHH!" The librarian was glaring at Elena.

The night after their final exams, Elena sat in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She had no intention of letting them get past her without talking to her. She _had_ to tell them what she knew. She had a feeling they were about to do something drastic, based on the furtive glances they'd kept giving each other all through dinner when they'd thought no one was with all the best intentions, Elena dozed off in the light of the dying fire.

She woke with a start and looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness surrounding her. The fire had gone out- the only light was coming from the moon in clear night sky that shone through the window. Something cold and wet brushed against Elena's foot and it sent a shiver down her spine. Slowly she looked down to see what had touched her.

A large brown toad sat on the floor, blinking it's wide eyes slowly as it looked up at her. It was Trevor, Neville Longbottom's toad that was notorious for getting free. _CROAK_! Elena jumped as the toad took a large leap. Elena stood and tried to follow it in the dark, but after several paces, she tripped over something very large and stiff in the middle of the common room floor.

She picked herself up onto her knees and looked down at her scraped palms.

"Oww," She moaned, more in irritation than in pain. Then she looked over at what she'd tripped over.

It was Neville, and he was lying still as a statue, his eyes staring unblinking at the ceiling.


	8. Chapter 8

Elena didn't know how she managed to get out of the Gryffindor common room and onto the third floor without being seen. All she knew is that she had somehow managed to tear herself away from Neville's still form laying on common room floor and dashed out, intent on finding a teacher, any teacher, who could help. She had a sick knot in her stomach- she just knew that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone and done something drastic. They wouldn't have actually gone to try and stop Snape by themselves, would they? Surely they had enough evidence by now that they would've gone for help. Wouldn't they? Elena picked up her speed.

Elena was running so fast down the third floor corridor, the busts of famous wizards passed in a blur, and the suits of armor turned their heads indignantly to follow her with their empty visors.

"AUGH!" Elena ran headlong into what she believed to be empty space- but it had been solid, and as she fell to the floor, she couldn't help but think: had that air yelled in pain?

"What?" Elena gasped as she sat up on the floor, looking at the empty space she'd just careened into. But it wasn't empty space any longer. With a rustling sound, the air before Elena shimmered and rippled, and suddenly Hermione and Ron were standing before her. Ron was supporting himself on Hermione, and Hermione was folding a thick cloak over her arm.

"Elena!" Hermione gaped at the girl sprawled on the floor. Both Ron and Hermione looked the worse for wear. Ron was covered in dust and grit- his pants were ripped in one knee and a cut across his eyebrow was bleeding profusely. Hermione's hair was even more bushy than usual, and she too had rips in her pants. Both were sweating heavily and were very out of breath.

"Ron! Hermione!" Elena had gotten to her feet and was now staring incredulously at the two of them. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Ron snapped angrily, rubbing his side where Elena could only assume she had run into him.

"I was going to get help," Elena said, feeling hurt at Ron's accusatory voice. "Neville's just laying on the ground in the common room and he's not moving, and I had a terrible feeling that you lot were in trouble-"

"Yeah, obviously Neville's not moving!" Ron growled. "We're the ones that put him there!"

"What?"

"Hermione petrified him when we were leaving the tower!" Ron said exasperatedly as if it were obvious. "He tried to stop us!"

"I was in the common room too…" Elena muttered, feeling her heart sink. "I was sitting right by the portrait hole. You had to have seen me, why didn't you wake me up?"

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other quickly before looking back at Elena.

"Well," Hermione started in a placating voice. "Well, what we were doing was really dangerous, Elena, and Harry didn't want you to get hurt-"

"Yeah? Well where is Harry? I'm my own person and I can do what I want!" Elena glowered at them viciously.

"He's still down there! He made me turn back!" Hermione pointed at the ground. "Elena, I think he's in serious danger- we were going for Dumbledore."

Furiously, Elena shoved past Hermione and Ron and began to run once more. Hermione and Ron followed, and as they did, they took turns gasping out what had happened and how they came to be in the third floor corridor.

"Fluffy-was asleep- Devil's Snare- tried to kill us!" Ron wheezed and clutched his side as they ran. "Bloody wizard's chess- knocked me out cold!"

Hermione was struggling just as much to get her story out. "There were potions- one sent me back but- Harry kept going!"

Hermione, Ron, and Elena were just turning a corner when a shrieking laugh split the air above their heads. Peeves the Poltergeist was floating cross-legged in the air, and he was grinning broadly down at them.

"Ickle first years out of bed!" Peeves cried gayly. "Ickle first years aren't allowed out at night!"

"Peeves, shh! Please!" Hermione moaned.

"Shut up, Peeves!" Ron jumped to take a swat at him.

This proved to be a big mistake however. Peeves shrieked loudly once more and then he zoomed past them, knocking down several suits of armor as he did so, and they fell to the floor with an ear-shattering crash.

They could hear his shouts of "Students out of bed! Students out of bed!" Getting fainter and fainter.

"Nice one, Ron." Said Elena blandly.

"Well that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run into us earlier!" Ron said angrily, his face flushing.

"What? How can you possibly blame me for that?" Elena shouted.

"Oh both of you, shut up!" Both Ron and Elena turned to stare at Hermione. There had been terrible urgency in her voice.

"What?" Ron asked grouchily.

Hermione pointed to the end of the hallway, fear on her face. Elena and Ron looked at where Hermione was pointing to see the Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, slinking towards them. In the sudden silence, they could hear the sound of running footsteps.

"Run!" Ron shouted. He grabbed both Elena and Hermione's hands and pulled them along behind him as they raced back down the corridor.

Their footsteps echoed in the empty halls as they turned randomly, trying to get as far away as possible from the place they'd just been. Finally, they ducked into an empty classroom and slammed the door behind them.

Elena leaned her forehead against the rough wood and tried to catch her breath, beside her, Hermione and Ron did the same.

"You think we're safe?" Elena gasped, looking over at the other two.

"No, I don't believe you are," a cold, drawling voice made the three of them whip around. There, emerging from the shadowed corner of the room, was Professor Snape. "In fact, I think you are in an exceptional amount of trouble."

Hermione squeaked in fear, and the color drained from Elena and Ron's faces as Snape swept forward to stand in front of them. He glowered down at the three of them, his black eyes stoney with anger.

"So..." Said Snape, looking down at Elena. "You think you're above the rules, do you? That they don't apply to you, because your brother is famous?"

"No!" Elena cried out at this injustice. "We were-"

"Silence!" Snape hissed, his voice so icy that Elena closed her mouth instantly. "Clearly, taking fifty points each from Gryffindor didn't have the effect Professor McGonagall believed it would."

Snape was now glaring at Hermione. "Perhaps expulsion is the only way to get through your thick skulls-"

"We know you're trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone!" Elena yelled, and Snape turned once again from Hermione to glower at Elena.

"I beg your pardon?" He whispered, his voice so low and cold that Elena cowered against the wall.

"We put it all together!" Ron said shakily. "Fluffy, the trap door-"

"We know you were bullying answers out of Professor Quirrell!" Said Elena. "So-so where's Harry? We know he went on to stop you himself! What'd you do to him?!"

Snape was looking at them all with such fury in his eyes, Elena thought he might strike them.

"How. Dare. You." Snape said very slowly, biting off each word. "How dare you accuse me of such-"

The door behind Elena, Ron, and Hermione opened suddenly.

"Ahh, Severus, just the man I was looking for!" Albus Dumbledore entered the room swiftly, his purple robes swirling behind him as he moved to stand between Snape and Elena.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione, Ron, and Elena cried together. "We were trying to find you-"

"-the Sorcerer's Stone-"

"-it's being stolen-"

"-trying to find you-"

"-how did you find us-"

"-Harry's down there!"

Professor Dumbledore put his hands up to stop the three of them from speaking.

"Professor Snape, perhaps it would be better if we had some privacy?" Professor Dumbledore smiled politely at Professor Snape and nodded his head towards the classroom door.

"What!" Snape said furiously. "Headmaster not only were these three students out of bed after hours but they were in forbidden parts of the castle when-"

"If you would, Professor," Dumbledore interrupted calmly. "Madame Pomfrey requires your assistance with a particularly difficult potion in the Hospital Wing."

Snape opened his mouth as if he were to begin yelling once more, but shut it quickly. Giving one last resentful glare at Hermione, Ron, and Elena, he strode out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Smiling, Dumbledore turned back to them.

"As it happens," Dumbledore said placatingly as the three of them were about to start speaking once more. "I already know what you three are about to tell me."

Hermione, Ron, and Elena looked at him, amazed. Dumbledore's eyes glittered as he looked from one awed face to the next.

"Yes, I had just arrived at the Ministry of Magic when I realized the place I should be was here. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off Harry."

"Wait… Professor Quirrell?" Ron gasped.

"Yes, the true culprit was, in fact, Professor Quirrell. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, shared his soul with Voldemort, whose intent it was to procure the Sorcerer's Stone for himself."

"That's who he was talking to…" Elena whispered.

"But Snape!" Ron said angrily. "He had that cut on his leg! And we heard him threatening Quirrell! He tried to kill Harry at the Quidditch match!"

"Professor Snape, Ron." Dumbledore said. "And it was Quirrell who made the attempt on Harry's life. Professor snape was, in fact, trying to save him."

The troll, though…" Hermione whispered.

"Quirrell had a special gift with trolls." Dumbledore said calmly. "While everyone else was running around looking for it, Professor Snape, who already suspected him, went straight to the third floor to head Quirrell off. We do owe much to him."

"And," Elena was afraid to ask. "And Harry? Is he going to be okay?"

"He very nearly died. Like I said, I got there just in time."

"What happened down there? I mean… Did Harry- like- kill Quirrell?"

"I think it would be best if he told you himself." Dumbledore smiled as Elena began to walk out the door. "However, he is unconscious. I've instructed Madame Pomfrey to inform the three of you as soon as he wakes up."

"He's unconscious?" Elena cried. "Is he hurt? Are you sure he'll wake up? I need to go to him-"

"Elena, Elena, calm yourself, please." Said Dumbledore. "The best thing all of us can do for Harry now is go to bed."

The next three days passed painfully slowly for Elena. Every second she was awake, she was thinking of Harry, and in every spare moment, she was up in the Hospital Wing, sitting next to Harry's still form. A cold dread had settled in the pit of her stomach on the second day of Harry's coma. Elena was terrified that Harry would never wake up, that he would stay in this vegetative state forever, blissfully unaware that time was passing- that his life was passing.

"Uh… Ummm…" Elena was sitting at the Gryffindor table and had been staring at what looked like a burn mark for the last several minutes, not focused on anything. At the sound of the stuttering voice, she looked up quickly and blinked several times in order to focus on the person standing before her. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Oh. Hello, Draco," Elena said stiffly, looking down at the table again. "I reckon you've been feeling really good these last three days."

Draco didn't rise to Elena's bait. Instead, he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have told anyone about the dragon."

Elena turned to look scathingly at Draco. "Oh,really?"

"Yeah, really." Draco's eyes were level and unflinching. "I did it to get Potter- Harry- in trouble. I didn't think about what would happen to you and I should have because you're- you're my friend."

Elena didn't know what to say to this. She just looked at him with an expression of shock on her face. Draco didn't seem to have any words left to say either. He nodded resolutely and turned away. He had gone several steps before he stopped and spun around, looking sheepish.

"Oh, yeah," he mumbled, seemingly embarrassed. "Madame Pomfrey told me to tell you- Harry's awake."

Elena burst through the Hospital Wing doors and sprinted to Harry's bed.

"Harry!" Elena stopped when she saw Professor Dumbledore rising from the foot of Harry's bed. "I just heard… Draco just told me."

"Ah, Miss Potter, I expected you would be here shortly." Dumbledore smiled warmly as he stood to move by her. "I was just leaving."

As Dumbledore swept out of the Hospital Wing, Elena quickly took his place on the foot of Harry's bed.

"Harry, I was so worried!" Elena said, and she began to cry. "I didn't know if you were going to wake up! I thought Quirrell had done something to you!"

"No- no, Elena don't cry! I'm alright! Really, I am!" Harry quickly pulled a pillow case off one of his pillows and tossed it at her.

"What- what happened down there?" She hiccuped as she wiped her eyes with the case. Harry took a deep breath and launched into the story of how Quirrell had attacked him.

"But now what?" Elena asked as he finished. "Is he- Voldemort- still out there? Or is he gone for good?"

"Dumbledore said he's still out there. He thinks I've only delayed him a bit."

The siblings sat in silence until Madame Pomfrey told Elena that visiting hours were up. Harry was able to join them the next night for the feast, and the day after that, they all spent the last of their time at Hogwarts packing for the summer holiday. In a matter of hours, they had piled onto the Hogwarts Express, and it delivered them to King's Cross station.

"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron as they debarked the train, "all three of you - I'll send you an owl."

"Thanks," said Harry, "We'll need something to look forward to."

People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Elena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. On the other side, they found Mrs. Weasley, who smiled down at them.

"Busy year?" she said.

"Very," said Harry.

"Thanks for the fudge and the sweaters, Mrs. Weasley." Elena said.

"Oh, it was nothing, dear."

"Ready, are you?" It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry and Elena, carrying owls in cages in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of them.

"You must be Harry and Elena's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, we haven't got all day." He walked away.

Harry and Elena hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.

"See you over the summer, then." Elena muttered.

"Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

"Oh, we will," said Harry, and he smiled down at Elena, who grinned back up at him. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. "We're going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."

Elena took one last glance at the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ as she and Harry followed the Dursley's. She was already looking forward to September, only a few months away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Year 2**

"I'm sorry your birthday went so horribly…" Elena Potter was sitting on the edge of her older brother Harry's bed. "Maybe if we had just told him we wouldn't go back, even if we didn't mean it-"

"No, it wouldn't have mattered," Harry was staring out their bedroom window, past the large bars that had been welded into place there by their Uncle three days before, and into the dark night sky. "Dobby would have just found another way to ruin everything."

Elena flopped backwards onto bed and stared up at the bottom of her own. She slept on the top bunk, which was placed precariously above Harry's by a couple of old wooden pallets and a handful of nails. Three nights before, a house elf by the name of Dobby had shown up in the siblings room, claiming that they could not return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry because of a danger to their lives. However, when pressed for more information, he'd clammed up and inflicted pain on himself.

When Harry had said that they would go back to school, regardless of Dobby's warning, the elf had ruined the business meeting Uncle Vernon had been having downstairs. In retaliation, Uncle Vernon had fit bars on Harry and Elena's window and fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. He let Harry and Elena out to use the bathroom morning and evening, but otherwise, they were locked in their room around the clock.

"Who do you think Dobby was talking about, then?" Elena turned her head to look at Harry. "Voldemort?"

"No, he said it wasn't him." Harry didn't look at her. "I bet it has something to do with Malfoy…"

Harry had muttered this last bit under his breath, but Elena still heard him.

"What?!" She shot up quickly in anger, and in doing so hit her forehead hard against the wooden pallet above her. "How in the world can you even possibly tie this to Draco?"

"Well, who else could it be?" Harry said angrily, whipping around to glower at his sister. "Dobby said it wasn't Voldemort and Malfoy's the only other person I know that doesn't like me!"

"Oh don't be so stupid!" Elena shouted.

"Shhh!" Harry looked pointed at the door; The Dursleys slept just across the hall.

"If you honestly believe that Malfoy is the only person who doesn't want to see you, you're a moron!" Elena continued in a harsh whisper. "For instance, I'd like to not see you!"

Harry didn't rise to her bait. "You're bleeding." He said irritatingly before turning to look out the window once more.

Seething, Elena raised a finger to her injured forehead and felt the sticky warmth of blood. She turned towards the door as if to leave, remembered their prisoner status, and turned away, growling in frustration.

"Of course it's Draco," Elena muttered sarcastically as she pulled a pair of old socks out of her drawers and pressed them against her bleeding head. "I forgot that it actually was Draco who tried to kill you as a baby- wait that was Voldemort."

"Elena, there's something in the sky."

"Oh! I remember now! Draco was the one who tried to steal the Philosopher's stone and almost killed you last year-"

"Elena!"

"Oh crap, you're was just Voldemort again-"

"Elena, shut UP!" Harry had left the windowsill now and grabbed Elena's arm, spinning her around.

"Let go!" Elena tried to yank her arm away, but Harry dragged her to the window and pointed.

"Look!"

Begrudgingly, Elena looked out the barred window and into the night sky. "Harry, there's nothing out there-" But just as she said it, something caught her eye. Two lights in the distance seemed to be growing brighter and brighter.

"What-what is it?" Elena whispered fearfully, backing away from the window. Her anger at Harry and the cut on her forehead forgotten in the face of the mysterious lights.

Harry and Elena backed up till they were standing against the far wall, their backs pressed against the door to their bedroom. As the strange object in the sky got closer, they had to shield their eyes from the bright light now pouring in their bedroom window. Elena blinked and opened her eyes, which were now adjusted to the light.

Someone was goggling through the bars at them: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone. Ron Weasley was outside their window.

"Ron!" breathed Elena as Harry crept to the window and pushed it up so they could talk through the bars.

"Ron, how did you — What the — ?" Harry gasped.

Elena's mouth fell open as the full impact of what she was seeing hit her. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair. Grinning at Harry and Elena from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.

"All right,Elena?" asked George.

"What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times!"

"How did you get a flying car?" Elena's voice had come back to her.

"We're only borrowing this." Said Ron. "It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it."

"That doesn't matter right now!" Harry said quickly. "Look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked us up and won't let us go back? Obviously we can't magic ourselves out, because we can't do magic outside of school so-"

"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you guys home with us."

"But you can't magic us out either-" Elena started, but Ron interrupted.

"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me."

"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.

"If the Dursleys wake up, We're dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.

"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."

Harry and Elena moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig and Nightshade, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Elena and Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Elena listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom.

When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to the window.

"Get in," Ron said.

"But all our Hogwarts stuff — our wands — Harry's broomstick —" Elena said apprehensively.

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and we can't get out of this room-"

"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way,Potters."

Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into the sibling's room. George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So- we'll get your trunks- you two grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George.

"Watch out for the bottom stair, it creaks," Elena whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.

Harry and Elena dashed around the room, collecting their things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then they went to help Fred and George heave their trunk up the stairs. At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunks through the room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry, Elena, and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.

"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car.

"One good push —"

Harry, Elena, and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.

"Okay, let's go," George whispered.

Elena clambered up into the car to sit next to Ron, but as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.

"THOSE RUDDY OWLS!"

"Hedwig and Nightshade!" Elena gasped in horror.

Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on- he snatched up Hedwig's cage in one hand and Nightshade's in the other, dashed to the window, and passed them out to Ron and Elena. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door and it crashed open.

For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.

"Harry!" Elena shrieked, grabbing his hand.

Ron, Fred, and George joined her by seizing Harry's arms and pulling as hard as they could.

"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "They're getting away! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!"

But the Elena and the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp — Harry was in the car.

"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.

Elena couldn't believe it — they were free. She grinned broadly at Harry, who was panting. She rolled down the window, the night air whipping her hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of their window.

"Let Hedwig and Nightshade out," Harry told Ron. "They can fly behind us. They haven't had a chance to stretch their wings for ages."

George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig and Nightshade soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost and it's shadow.

"So — what's the story?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening? Why haven't we heard from you guys at all?"

Harry and Elena took turns telling them all about Dobby. There was a long, shocked silence when they had finished.

"Very fishy," said Fred finally.

"Definitely dodgy," agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"

"I don't think he could," said Elena. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."

"Or hitting himself with the lamp," Harry added.

They saw Fred and George look at each other.

"What, you think he was lying to us?" said Harry.

"Well," said Fred, "put it this way — house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"

Elena knew what was coming. "Don't you dare say-"

"Yes," said Harry and Ron together instantly, cutting her off.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."

"But not me!" Elena said defensively.

"Oh don't act like he wouldn't drop you like a hot potato if it meant keeping Harry from going back!" Ron said hotly.

"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry.

"Why does that matter?" Asked Elena.

"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."

"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look pointedly at Elena, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it. Load of dung — Dad reckons he was right in You-Know-Who's inner circle."

"Just because his dad is scum doesn't mean Draco is the same," Elena argued.

"Well, you know what they say-," George said.

"-the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Fred finished.

"He's my friend!" Elena said in a last ditch effort. "He wouldn't try to keep me from going back!"

"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf. . . ." said Harry, ignoring her.

"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.

Elena was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; she could just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do- Elena kew the two loathed each other. But would Draco have done it if he knew it meant he wouldn't see Elena again either? Had she been stupid to think that Draco wouldn't risk their admittedly rocky friendship just to get at Harry?

She stared out the window and remained silent for the rest of the ride. The edges of the dark sky were becoming slightly pink.

"That's the main road," said George after what seemed like an hour or so, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes. . . . Just as well, it's getting light. . . ."

Fred brought the car lower, and Elena saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees.

"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."

Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.

"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Elena looked out for the first time at Ron's house.

It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Elena reminded herself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, _THE BURROW_. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.

They all tumbled out of the car.

"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast. Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, 'Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and Elena and no one need ever know we flew the car."

"Right," said Ron. "Come on, guys, I sleep at the- at the top—" Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house.

The other four wheeled around. Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens,and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger. Elena couldn't think of anything more terrifying than the short woman making her way towards them. She squeaked and took a step back, Harry right beside her.

"Ah," said Fred.

"Oh, dear," said George.

Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.

"So," she said.

" 'Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.

"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.

"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to-"

All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.

"Beds empty! No note! Car gone- could have crashed- out of my mind with worry- did you care?- never, as long as I've lived- you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy-"

"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.

"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest. "You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job —"

It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry and Elena, who backed away even more.

"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "And you too, Elena. Come in and have some breakfast."

She turned and walked back into the house and Elena, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her, Harry at her side. Although Elena was sure that the reprimands from the severe Mrs. Weasley were from over, there was a feeling of elation in her stomach. She'd never been in a wizarding home before, and even though Mrs. Weasley was quite terrifying at the moment, Elena was positive that her time here would be much better than being at the Dursely's.

"Come on in, love," Mrs. Weasley was holding the front door open for Elena and gesturing for her to enter. Taking a deep breath Elena crossed the threshold and entered the house.


	10. Chapter 10

Life at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. The Dursleys liked everything neat and ordered; the Weasleys' house burst with the strange and unexpected. The ghoul in the attic howled and dropped pipes whenever he felt things were getting too quiet, and small explosions from Fred and George's bedroom were considered perfectly normal.

About a week after Harry and Elena had arrived, they finally heard from Hogwarts. Elena went down to breakfast to find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and Ginny already sitting at the kitchen table.

"Letters from school," said Mr. Weasley, passing Elena an envelope that was identical to the ones Harry and Ron held. It was yellowish parchment, addressed in green ink. "Dumbledore already knows you're here, Potters- doesn't miss a trick, that man. You two have got them, too," he added, as Fred and George ambled in, still in their pajamas.

For a few minutes there was silence as they all read their letters. Elena's told her to catch the Hogwarts Express as usual from King's Cross station on September first, her birthday. There was also a list of the new books she'd need for the coming year.

"Erm, Elena, dear," Mrs. Weasley said in an odd, tight voice that she'd never used to address her before. "You've got another here, if you're through with that one."

Elena took the letter from Mrs. Weasley and looked down at it, apprehensive. She could feel everyone's eyes on her.

"It came by a very nice looking owl," Mr. Weasley said conversationally, but his voice was tight.

Elena turned it over to look at the return address. It was written in ink so black it seemed to absorb the light around it, making the envelope look cast in shadow, although bright sunlight cascaded in through the window.

 **Malfoy Manor**

 **Wiltshire, England**

"Oh, I think it's from-" Elena looked up to see the curious faces on Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's faces, and the suspicious looks on Harry's, Ron's, and the twins'. "-from a friend. That's all. Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Weasley. Need any help cleaning up?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head and Elena stood quickly, shoving both letters into her pocket. She was just headed towards the stairs when Harry stopped her with a hand on her arm. Elena shoved her hands deeper into her pockets defensively, half expecting Harry to reach in and snatch the letter from her.

"We were thinking of playing some Quidditch after we finished eating- I know you don't really like it, but you could watch, yeah? Maybe give the Nimbus a try?"

Elena knew that Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were planning to go up the hill to a small paddock the Weasleys owned. It was surrounded by trees that blocked it from view of the village below, meaning that they could practice Quidditch there, as long as they didn't fly too high. They couldn't use real Quidditch balls, which would have been hard to explain if they had escaped and flown away over the village; instead they threw apples for one another to catch.

Elena had never liked Quidditch- sure, it was entertaining to watch on occasion, but the idea of flying through the air on a tiny broomstick while people hurled different sized balls at you had never appealed to her. The hopeful look on Harry's face softened her slightly however. He'd been very disappointed in her lack of enthusiasm when he became the youngest player ever on the Gryffindor Quidditch team the year before, and she tried to make up for it by listening to him go on for hours about the different teams and maneuvers.

"Yeah, okay." Elena said, relaxed now that he wasn't asking about her second letter. "Let me run upstairs real quick to grab a quill."

Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over the boy's shoulders, a thin blanket and a basket filled with writing supplies and snacks under Elena's arm. At the top of the hill, the boys mounted their brooms and began taking warm up laps. Elena moved under the shade of a tree and laid the blanket out. Making sure Harry or Ron weren't paying any attention to her, she pulled the now wrinkled envelope out of her pocket and smoothed it out. Swiftly she opened it and took out the letter.

 _ **Elena,**_

 _ **I've got to keep this short, because if my father sees me writing to anyone not in Slytherin, I'll be in very deep trouble. I would have sent you a letter sooner but one of our house elves spotted me writing this and told my father. I saw him snooping around my bedchambers trying to find it. Luckily I was expecting that and hid it under my mattress. But I had to be a lot more careful after that, which is why this has taken so long to write.**_

 _ **Anyways, how has your summer been? Is your family treating you any better? My summer has been quite dull. I can only spend so much time with Crabbe and Goyle before it feels like my brain is melting out of my ears. I can't wait for school to start so that I'll be around people like you, who are actually mentally stimulating.**_

 _ **Write back, if you want.**_

 _ **D. Malfoy**_

 _ **P.S. send your letter to Dervish & Banges in Hogsmeade village. It's a shop that sells and repairs magical equipment, and I've got a connection there that can deliver your letter to me secretly.**_

Elena finished reading the letter with mixed emotions. On one hand, she was thrilled that Draco had taken it upon himself to write her, and he'd even called her "mentally stimulating". She did have to roll her eyes at just how posh he was, though. Bedchamber? Seriously? Who even called their bedroom that anymore? Sure, he was rich, but he didn't live in a castle.

On the other hand, he'd mentioned that one of his house elves had spotted him writing this letter. Elena begrudgingly added a mental tally mark to Harry's argument that it had been Draco that sent Dobby. But he'd said he was excited to see her! Didn't that mean that he _wanted_ Elena to come back? Even if it meant Harry would also be there?

Shaking her head with confusion, Elena placed the letter in her pocket and withdrew the clean piece of parchment she'd brought with her.

 _ **Draco,**_

 _ **It's nice to receive a letter from you, I wasn't expecting one. Why wouldn't your father want you to write letters to people in other houses? I can't believe he snooped through your room just for a letter. But I understand, once I found my uncle going through Harry and my school trunks. My family hasn't been any better. So much has happened this summer, it's a bit too much to write down. I'll tell you about it at school.**_

 _ **I can't imagine how boring it would be to only have Crabbe and Goyle for company. They only know a few words each, so the conversations can't be very interesting. If I were you, I'd have started talking to the wall. The conversation would be a bit more intelligent at least.**_

Elena paused and looked at what she'd written. She wanted to ask something about Dobby, but she didn't know how to do it without being overly obvious.

"Hey, Elena!"

Elena looked up quickly to see Harry standing several yards away, broomstick in hand. "Did you want to take a whirl on the broom?"

"I can give it a go, sure!" Elena called back. "Let me just finish this up real quick!"

 _ **You said one of your house elves spotted you writing and told your father? Just how many house elves do you have? What are their names? I've never seen one before, so I'm curious.**_

 _ **Write back soon!**_

 _ **Elena Potter**_

 _ **P.S. I guess you already know this, but I'll be staying with the Weasleys for what's left of the summer. You can send your letters to them, Mr. Weasley will give them to me.**_

Elena surveyed her last few sentences. She didn't think her questions about the house elves looked _too_ obvious. She folded the letter quickly and shoved it into an envelope. After scrawling down the address of Dervish & Banges, she placed both Draco's letter and her own at the bottom of the basket and began walking towards Harry.

Flying on Harry's broomstick had been a terrifying experience. She had never been more than six feet off the ground, but to her it had felt like a thousand. Laying on the cot set up next to Ron's younger sister, Ginny, she thought that while she was perfectly fine watching Harry fly, she was content standing on solid ground. After several hours of attempting to make Elena more comfortable with flying, the boys had eventually given up and they'd all returned to the Burrow for dinner. Elena had discreetly sent her letter off with the Weasley's owl.

She really hadn't been expecting a letter from Draco. Sure, they were acquaintances at school, and on occasion they were even friendly, but their relationship was turbulent at best, and hateful at worst. She definitely hadn't thought that they were on letter-writing terms.

"Well," she thought to herself. "I wonder how this will change things at school."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated, life has been crazy. I'll try to do better with that. If you've been reading this since the beginning, thank you so much for sticking with me, I really appreciate it. If you just started, thanks for reading, I hope you'll keep coming back to read about Elena! Two quick things: I LOVE it when ya'll comment. It really makes my day and helps motivate me to write more, so if you haven't commented lately, please feel free to drop a comment with your thoughts/concerns/constructive criticism. On that note however, I would only ask that if you have any hunches to what is going to happen/what is happening, don't put it in the comments, send me a private message! I will gladly tell you if your hunch is correct, but let's not spoil the surprises for any of the other readers! That's all I wanted to say, and I promise that these little authors notes will be far and few between! So please, enjoy reading about Elena, and definitely drop a comment in the box below when you've finished!**

 **Thank you all for the support!**

 **Jessie**

Weeks passed without another letter from Draco. She'd written him several more times, hoping that one of them would warrant a response, but every morning her hopes were dashed by the sight of Erol, the ragged family owl, slamming into the window without a single letter in his beak. She felt foolish for being so disappointed.

"I guess I'm not that mentally stimulating after all," Elena muttered into her bacon and eggs. It was August 31, and early the next morning she and Harry, along with Ginny, Ron, Percy, Fred, and George would be on the train to Hogwarts.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Weasley was shuffling around the table, piling more bacon and eggs onto everyone's plates.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud!" Elena plastered a falsely bright smile onto her face. "Thank you for breakfast! It smells amazing!"

"Well don't get too full," Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Molly's prepared a surprise for you!"

"Hush!" Mrs. Weasley swatted Mr. Weasley on the head with her serving spoon before turning back to Elena. "I hope you don't think that I've forgotten about your birthday!"

"Oh, Mrs. Weasley, you don't have to do anything, really! My birthday isn't even until tomorrow anyways..." Elena protested, feeling guilty that Mrs. Weasley was using their scant resources on something as frivolous as her birthday.

Several weeks earlier, The whole family, along with Harry and Elena, had gone to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. They'd stopped at Gringotts bank first, and Elena had witnessed firsthand just how poor they were. When they arrived at the Weasley's vault, it opened to reveal a very small pile of silver Sickles and just one gold Galleon. Mrs. Weasley had felt right into the corners before sweeping the whole lot into her bag. Elena had felt even worse when they reached she and Harry's vault. She tried to block the contents from view as Harry hastily shoved handfuls of coins into a leather bag.

"Nonsense, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed loudly. "It's not everyday that you turn eleven years old!"

"And we have to celebrate today!" George said from across the table.

"Right, tomorrow's going to be too busy!" Fred added, and then winked broadly at Elena, making her certain that today was _not_ going to be the only day of celebration for the twins.

Eleven years old. Elena hadn't been able to stop thinking about it all week. If Elena's life hadn't been irreparably altered by the murder of she and Harry's parents, tomorrow would have been the start of her first year at Hogwarts. Would she have been as restless and jittery as Ginny was right now? Even though Ginny had turned eleven at the start of August, she somehow seemed younger than Elena at the moment.

"Elena?" Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

Elena smiled wider in response to Harry's concerned face. He'd been acting overly concerned since their trip to Diagon Alley. He'd accidentally been sent somewhere else when using the Floo Network, and while he wouldn't answer any of Elena's questions, she'd overheard he and Ron talking about it. She'd also overheard them mention a name: Draco Malfoy.

"Yep! I was just-" but the rest of her response was cut off by gasps of delight from the rest of the table.

Mrs. Weasley was holding a large cake at the head of the table. It was so large, Elena could only just see the top of Mrs. Weasley's head.

"Happy Birthday, Elena!" Everyone in the room shouted.

It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

On the bright side to the hectic morning, however, Elena was relieved to see that everyone seemed to have forgotten that it was her birthday. When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?"

She, Ginny, and Elena were in the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Elena turning back for a last look at the house. She barely had time to wonder when she'd see it again when they were back — George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

They reached King's cross station at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley parked and everyone tumbled out of the car. Fred and George dashed across the road to get trolleys for everyone's trunks and they all hurried into the station. Elena was out of breath by the time they reached the solid barrier that divided platforms nine and ten.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.

"Elena, you now. I'll take Ginny after you, and then you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron.

Elena made sure that Nightshade's cage was firmly on top of her trunk before she wheeled herself around to face the barrier.

"Hurry up!" Elena shot Ron a withering look for his remark before stepping through the barrier and into the bright hustle and bustle of Platform 9 ¾.

She took a few more paces then turned to see Ginny and Mrs. Weasley appear. Mrs. Weasley ushered Elena and Ginny to the closest train car, where Fred and George had stuck their heads out to help with their trunks. Once Elena's owl and trunk were on the train, she turned and glanced towards the barrier.

"Wait, where's Harry?" She said as Mrs. Weasley pushed her up and into the train. "Wait, I can't-"

"He and Ron probably got into another car, don't worry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley said and indicated for George and Fred to help pull the resisting Elena into the train. "They were right behind us!"

Elena stopped struggling and allowed Fred and George to yank her the rest of the way onto the train. As they pulled her towards an open compartment, she heard Mrs. Weasley shouting.

"Have a good year! Stay safe! Fred and George BEHAVE!"

"Merlin, that woman is louder than a bullhorn!" Fred exclaimed as he lead Elena and Ginny into the empty compartment. "In here,"

"Lucky for us there was still an empty one," George said as he helped Ginny to a seat by the window. The train had jolted to a start and began leave the station picking up speed every second. Balancing was becoming more and more difficult, and Elena gladly took a seat next across from Ginny.

"Fred, do you think you could-" She started, but he was already opening the compartment door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go find them. Back in less than a mo," with that, Fred whisked himself into the hall and disappeared into the crowd of students still trying to find compartments.

Elena slowly began to relax. The crazy morning had been giving her anxiety, but now that she was sitting down on the train, the tightness she'd felt in her chest was beginning to loosen up.

Several minutes later, most of which had been spent in comfortable silence, Fred returned. When he opened the door, the sound of other students yelling and shouting in excitement was overwhelming, and he closed it quickly.

"Couldn't find them," he took a seat next to Elena and wiped his forehead exaggeratedly. "It's like swimming upstream out there. I swear there are more first years every year!"

"Do you think they made it on board in time?" Elana's chest, which had finally relaxed all the way, squeezed tight again. "What if they missed it?"

"Impossible," George laughed. "You heard my mom, they were right behind her. Honestly, Elena, calm down, the energy coming off you is suffocating!"

"They probably just found an empty compartment and claimed it before anyone else could. When we get to Hogsmeade you'll see." Ginny said reassuringly.

Elena wanted to snap back a retort about how Ginny wouldn't know, as this was her first time on the Hogwarts Express, but she swallowed the bitter words and smiled instead.

"Thanks, and you're right, of course. They probably just ran into Hermione and decided to sit with her instead."

Several hours past in idle chit chat and the occasional comfortable silence. But on the inside, Elena's anxiety about Harry's whereabouts was steadily growing every minute that ticked past. Finally, when it became unbearable, she stood up.

"I'm going to stretch my legs," she announced and was headed towards the door when George stood up.

"Good luck!" He said and wrapped Elena in a big hug. She pulled out of his grasp and looked at him suspiciously.

"What the heck was that?"

"Just thought you needed one for the road!" George patted her twice on the back and sat back down.

Elena glanced at Fred, who looked away quickly and sniggered. Ginny's face was also bright red, and she wouldn't meet Elena's eyes.

"Okay…" Elena slowly backed out of the compartment, keeping a wary eye on the twins and Ginny. "I'll be back in a bit…"

The train hallway was much emptier now, and Elena had no problem walking down the train cars. She popped her head into the occasional compartment and asked for Harry's whereabouts, but no one seemed to have seen him or Ron, and every time she turned to leave, the compartment would fill with laughter.

When she reached the end of the last train car, she sighed and turned around, nearly colliding into someone leaving the final end compartment. The other person was equally startled and he dropped the stack of parchment he'd been holding. They fell to the floor and scattered across the hall.

"Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry, I-" Elena was already bending down to gather up the loose papers when she realized who it was.

She finished gathering the papers in silence and then stood up stiffly to face him.

"Here." She said coldly, shoving the wrinkled parchment into the hands of Draco Malfoy.

"Elena," he began as she started to walk past him. "Elena, why didn't you write back?"

Elena whipped around and was caught off guard by the disappointment on his face.

"I kept expecting one all month, but there was nothing. You could have at least written to tell me that you didn't want to talk-"

"Why didn't _I_ write back?" Elena's hurt and confusion morphed into defensive anger at his accusation. "I wrote half a dozen letters! And then every morning I just felt stupid for believing that you actually wanted to be my friend! Don't worry, I won't make that mistake again,"

She tried to turn away but he grabbed her shoulder. "I didn't get any of them."

His voice was just as sharp as hers had been, and his grip on her shoulder was bordering on painful. His simple statement had thrown Elena's mind into confusion once again. Was he lying? Or had he really not received any of the letters she had sent him? But that didn't make any sense! She'd sent every single one of them to the location in Hogsmeade that he'd told her to so that his father wouldn't find out.

"How is that… I sent them to Dervish & Banges. You said-"

"My connection said that no letters came for me. If you didn't get any of mine, and I didn't get any of yours, there must have been a middle man intercepting them." Draco let go of her shoulder and looked down at the ground.

"Your father…" Elena whispered.

"No, if he had them, he would have said something. He's not the kind of man to keep that kind of knowledge secret. He would have found a way to use it against me. To taunt me with it."

"That's awful."

"Elena!" A high-pitched voice echoed down the corridor. Elena turned from Draco to see Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends, rushing towards her.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione stopped in front of the pair standing in the hallway and looked at Draco suspiciously.

"I'll talk to you later," Draco muttered darkly and turned back into his compartment. "By the way, this was stuck to your back."

He pulled something off of Elena's back and handed it to her. It was a little piece of parchment with the words _**Happy birthday, El! 11 going on 30! xoxo Fred, George, + Ginny**_

Elena felt her face grow red. That explained a lot.

Hermione didn't respond to Elena's inquiry until Draco had firmly closed the door behind himself. Satisfied, she grabbed Elena by the arm and began hustling her down the hall back towards the front of the train.

"I've been looking for Harry and Ron everywhere, and I can't find them." She said in a strained, panicked voice.

"What? I thought they were with you!" Elena's forgotten anxiety came slamming back.

"No! I just saw Fred, and he said you hadn't seen them since you entered Platform 9 ¾! Elena," Hermione stopped and faced her. "I don't think they ever got on the train!"


	12. Chapter 12

"I still think we need to tell someone!" Elena whispered into Hermione's ear as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

After Hermione's confrontation on the train, they had rushed back to the compartment Fred, George, and Ginny were in to tell them their hunch.

"It makes sense!" Elena had protested when the twins gave them skeptical looks. "First, Dobby showed up and got Harry and I locked in our bedroom, and now Ron and Harry have mysteriously vanished? It can't be a coincidence!"

"We've got to tell someone!" Hermione had wailed, but Fred shushed her.

"We can't do that! Whoever is trying to keep Harry from coming back to school this year could find out that we know he's missing, and they might keep them hostage forever!"

That had shut both Hermione and Elena up real quick, and they spent the rest of the train ride sitting in their own fears. Once at the castle, Ginny had gone with the rest of the first years and Elena, Hermione, Fred, and George had followed the rest of the students to the Great Hall. Now they were currently sitting at the Gryffindor table, half-heartedly watching the Sorting Hat place the new students into their houses. Ginny had been sorted into Gryffindor almost before the Sorting hat had touched her head, and she now sat across from Elena, a concerned look on her face.

"I told you, we can't do that!" Fred said impatiently as a very small, mousy-haired boy was called forward to place the hat on his head.

"Well what are we supposed to do then?" Squeaked Elena. "We can't just sit around and do nothing! Other people are going to notice that they're gone!"

She scanned the staff table, where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Elena saw Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet.

"I think someone already has," George muttered, nodding at the one empty seat at the staff table. "Snape's missing."

Elena went cold. Snape was cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from Slytherin. Elena knew that if he found Harry and Ron before they did, they'd be expelled.

"Oh, god…" Hermione whimpered.

"Wait, look!" Elena looked up hopefully to where George was pointing. Professor Snape was striding purposefully through the Great Hall and towards the staff table.

"He looks angry… Like really angry." Ginny whispered as Snape reached the table and bent slightly so as to talk into Professor McGonagall's ear.

It was true. Elena had seen Professor Snape angry before; that anger being directed at she and the other Gryffindor's on more than one occasion. But now, he looked absolutely livid. The golden glow of the floating candles reflected menacingly in his beetle black eyes.

As they watched the interaction, Professor McGonagall's face grew darker and darker. Suddenly she stood up stiffly and began to follow Snape out of the Great Hall.

"What do you think he said to her?" Hermione asked the group in general.

Elena couldn't answer that question, but she had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that it had something to do with Harry and Ron's disappearance.

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, although it couldn't have been longer than a minute. Elena was frowning down into her mashed potatoes when Fred elbowed her in the side.

"Dumbledore," He hissed into her ear. Elena looked up quickly to see Professor Dumbledore stand up gracefully from the staff table and begin walking towards the entrance of the Great Hall where Professor McGonagall and Snape had so recently exited.

"This is serious," George said, his crooked grin that was always in place wavered for an instant. "I bet Ron and Harry are having a hell of a time, though!"

"Oh, honestly! Can't you take anything seriously?" Hermione huffed, but Elena didn't care.

Her mind was still racing when the main course of the feast vanished from their plates, and she hardly noticed when the piles of dessert appeared. Every so often she glanced up at the staff table, but her hopes were dashed when neither Snape, McGonagall, nor Dumbledore reappeared.

Finally, the feast ended. Gratefully, Elena stood and rushed up to the Gryffindor tower, Fred, George, Hermione, and Ginny hot on her heels. Upon entering the common room, Elena wished she hadn't.

"Is it true? Did he get expelled?" a Gryffindor third year pushed through the crowd to stand before her.

"What? Harry? Expelled for what?" Elena's throat became tight. Has Harry done something that she wasn't aware of?

"People are saying he was expelled!" Someone called.

"-destroyed school property-"

"- a flying car!"

Before Elena could comprehend what everyone was saying, the portrait hole opened behind her.

"Harry! Ron!" She whipped around at Hermione's cry of relief to see Ron and Harry stepping through the opening.

"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors — someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car —" Elena began.

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.

"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione severely.

"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently.

"that's not the point-" Hermione began.

"Harry I was worried sick and you just decided to take the car out for a spin?!" Elena glared up at Harry in frustration. "I thought you were-"

Her words were cut short, however, as there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House had packed themselves into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron the rest of the way inside, leaving Elena standing alone in their wake.

"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years —"

"Good for you," said a fifth year Elena didn't recognize.

She noticed someone was patting Harry on the back as though he'd just won a marathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd, all traces of their previous worry gone, and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

"Unbelievable," Hermione growled into Elena's ear before she began pushing herself through the crowd.

Elena had to agree. She'd spent the better part of a day worried sick about the two of them only to find out that they'd what, taken Mr. Weasley's flying car out for a little joyride? Unbelievable didn't even begin to cover it.

Without another glance at Harry, who was still receiving copious amounts of praise for his stupidity, Elena stormed up to her old dormitory room, which now had a sign on it saying _**SECOND YEARS**_. She entered the familiar, circular room, with its six four-poster beds hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Her trunk had been brought up for her and it stood at the end of her bed.

Alone for what felt like the first time in weeks, Elena trudged towards the end of her bed to pull out her pajamas. She didn't even notice the small envelope until she'd lifted the lid of her trunk and heard it fall to the floor. Frustrated, Elena slammed the lid of her trunk and reached under her bed, feeling around with her fingers for where it had fallen. Closing her hand around it, she pulled the envelope out and examined it.

It was smaller than she'd expected. Slowly she tore open the top and pulled out the letter that was enclosed.

 _ **Elena,**_

 _ **Happy Birthday. I wish it had been better for you.**_

Elena flipped the letter over, looking for more. That was it? No name, and only two sentences? She should have felt confused, maybe even a little apprehensive, but instead she felt all of the anger that she'd been holding back surge forward in her mind.

She slammed the letter into its envelope and threw it back into her trunk. She yanked her pajamas on and angrily got into her bed. Today had been awful, and she wasn't expecting tomorrow to be any better. Elena thought she would be too angry and wound up to sleep, but almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt all of her energy ebb away. She would talk to Harry tomorrow and get the full story, and she would even go to Dumbledore to complain about the strange items that kept appearing in her dorm.

Last year it had been the necklace, which she still wore tucked under her shirt next to the old key she'd found, and this year it was this weird letter! Huffing with frustration one more time, Elena rolled over and went to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning was anything but better for Elena. She woke with a splitting headache and a pain in her chest as if someone were squeezing her lungs till they collapsed, and it took several long, aching breaths to bring them back to a somewhat normal state. She'd awoken before any of the other girls in her dorm, so she slipped into her school clothes as quietly as she could and made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As usual, she was one of the first students to arrive, so she took her time sitting down at the Gryffindor table, which was laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon. As she sat, she looked lazily up at the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy gray).

"Lovely," Elena rolled her eyes and pulled a bowl of porridge towards herself and began filling her plate.

"Mornin' El!" A voice that was far too chipper for this early in the morning made Elena look up.

"Where's George? Did someone finally cut the cord that attaches you two at the hip?" Elena couldn't help but smile at Fred's goofy grin as he sat across from her and began buttering a piece of toast.

"Nah, he had to stop at the little lad's room- got a case of the runs from last night's feast." Fred looked up to see Elena's reaction.

"God, Fred, gross! I'm eating!" She pushed her bowl away in mock disgust. Fred laughed and the two continued to eat as the Great Hall began to fill with more and more students.

Finally Harry and Ron appeared and sat down next to her.

"Morning, El." Harry said hesitantly.

"Morning," Elena said stiffly, not looking at him.

"Look, El, I know you don't approve-" Harry was cut off by a cheerful greeting from Neville Longbottom, a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Elena had ever met.

"Mail's due any minute — I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."

Elena looked up at the ceiling and, sure enough, there was a rushing sound and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd.

A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Fred's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.

"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no —" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Elena, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that — it's that." Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Elena, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" said Harry, giving Elena a confused only shrugged.

"She's — she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" — he gulped — "it was horrible."

Elena looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

"What's a Howler?"

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes —"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, Elena knew why. She thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

Elena shrieked and ducked her head, expecting stones and bricks to fall as well.

"— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —"

Mrs. Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen. "— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!"

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Elena was stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over her. She glanced at Harry and Ron, both had faces as bright as cherry tomatoes, and Elena couldn't quite tell, but it seemed like Ron was shaking.

A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again. Elena took a deep breath and looked Harry straight into the eyes.

"Well, it's not like you didn't deserve it-" She began, but Ron cut her off.

"Wow, Hermione, you look quite different than you did last term." He snapped.

Elena rolled her eyes and stood up to receive her class schedule from Professor McGonagall, who was moving along the Gryffindor table handing them out to students. Elena took hers and saw that the second year Gryffindors had double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.

She shouldered her bookbag and headed out of the Great Hall, then the castle, alone. However as her morning progressed, she could feel herself slowly calm down. She was beginning to feel at home once again, and she was glad to be getting back into the familiar groove of school again. After several hours of hard work replanting young mandrakes in Herbology with Professor Sprout, a short, stout witch who was also the head of Hufflepuff house, it was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.

After Transfiguration was lunch, which she went down to with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What've we got this afternoon?"Harry asked the group in general as they all sat at the Gryffidor table.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione at once.

"Why," demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?" Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously.

"Oh my goodness, Hermione! You think he's cute!" Elena gasped, covering her mouth with her hands to hide her smirk.

"Don't act like you don't!" Hermione snapped.

Elena shrugged. "He's alright, I suppose. Nice hair and teeth,"

"That's what girls look for?" Ron gaped. "Nice hair and teeth?"

"That's right," Hermione huffed.

"Not like you've got anything to worry about," Elena said, looking pointedly at Ron's mop of tangled carrot colored hair.

"Wha-?" Ron looked incredulous as he patted his hair. "What's wrong with it?"

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on a stone step and buried her nose in a book. Elena sat on the steps next to her while Harry and Ron stood talking about Quidditch for several minutes. After a while Elena became aware that the group was being closely watched. Looking up, she saw the very small, mousy-haired boy she'd seen trying on the Sorting Hat last night staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Elena looked at him, he went bright red.

"Harry," Elena kicked the back of Harry's trainer with her own and nodded towards the boy, who was now shuffling towards them.

"All right, Harry? I'm — I'm Colin Creevey," the boy said breathlessly, taking a tentative step forward. "I'm in Gryffindor, too. D'you think — would it be all right if — can I have a picture?" he said, raising the camera hopefully.

"A picture?" Harry repeated blankly.

"So I can prove I've met you," said Colin Creevey eagerly, edging further forward. "I know all about you. Everyone's told me. About how you survived when You-Know-Who tried to kill you and how he disappeared and everything and how you've still got a lightning scar on your forehead,"

Elena saw his eyes raked Harry's hairline. "and a boy in my dormitory said if I develop the film in the right potion, the pictures'll move."

Colin drew a great shuddering breath of excitement and said, "It's amazing here, isn't it? I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. My dad's a milkman, he couldn't believe it either. So I'm taking loads of pictures to send home to him. And it'd be really good if I had one of you" — he looked imploringly at Harry — "maybe your friend could take it and I could stand next to you? And then, could you sign it?"

Colin looked at Elena when he said "friend" and she grimace.

"Sister, actually," she muttered. "I wouldn't go as far as to say friend."

Hermione snorted into her book and then blushed furiously.

"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" Loud and scathing, Draco's voice echoed around the courtyard. He had stopped right behind Colin, flanked, as he always was at Hogwarts, by his large and thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

Elena jumped to her feet and went to stand between Harry and Draco, pushing the miniscule Colin out of the way.

"Draco," Elena warned. "Just go away."

Draco and Harry had had a tense relationship- one could call them nemesis- ever since Harry had spurned Draco at the beginning of their first year. This left Elena in a tricky spot, as Draco was a friend on occasion.

"No, I'm not," said Harry angrily, his fists clenching. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous," piped up Colin, whose entire body was about as thick as Crabbe's neck.

"Jealous?" said Malfoy, who didn't need to shout anymore: half the courtyard was listening in. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

"Move out of the way, Elena,I'm gonna make him eat slugs!" Ron growled, trying to push past her, but Elena wasn't going to be budged.

"Be careful, Weasley," sneered Malfoy. "You don't want to start any trouble or your mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." He put on a shrill, piercing voice. "If you put another toe out of line —"

"Enough!" Elena yelled. She stepped forward and shoved Draco as hard as she could. "Just go away!"

He stumbled backwards and would have fallen if Crabbe and Goyle hadn't been standing right behind him to keep him upright.

"You've done it now, Potter!" Crabbe said, moving forward with his fists raised.

Draco glared at Elena, and for a split second, Elena wasn't sure if Draco was going to intervene with the beating she was surely about to receive from Crabbe, but, as she'd expected, he shook his head at Crabbe.

The trio trooped off fuming, and Elena let go of the breath she had been holding.

"I thought for sure Crabbe was going to hit you!" Hermione gasped, rushing to Elena's side as she turned back towards her group. "His fist is the size of your head!"

"Draco wouldn't have let him." Elena muttered. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her body was beginning to eb, leaving her shivering.

"You put too much trust into what you think Draco will stop when it comes to me," Harry said sharply. "You think you're worth more to him than getting to me!"

"I have been in the past, I have no reason to think I'm not now!" Elena grimaced as she thought of all the times she thought she might not have been enough to keep them from going at each other's throats.

"Hey," Hermione pushed herself between the two. Elena hadn't even noticed how close she and Harry had gotten during their heated debate. "Let's just get to class, okay?"

"Fine." Elena picked up her bookbags and stalked back into the castle. After a quick glance at each other, Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly followed.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N okay I'm really sorry about the formatting on that last chapter. For those who read it in the first hour it was up I'm so sorry, I didn't catch how bad the formatting was until about an hour after it was posted. I did go back and fix it so hopefully it's not an absolute mess like it was, so if you stopped reading halfway through (an understandable thing to do as it was basically impossible to decipher) it's all fixed now so you can go back and read it before you start this chapter! Thanks all for bearing with my ineptitude when it comes to technology! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please don't forget to review!**

 **Jessie**

"He's unbelievable!" Elena fumed at the Gryffidor table that evening. She, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the twins Fred and George were sitting together for dinner, and while Harry and Ron didn't seem to care much for what Elena was saying, Hermione was getting very defensive.

"I already _told_ you! He was just trying to give us hands on experience!" Hermione cried.

"Hands on? Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing!" Elena was slicing her roast beef so aggressively that Harry was surprised her entire plate hadn't been sawed in half.

"It's true, I mean, Peskipiksi Pesternomi? I've never heard of a more ridiculous sounding spell!"

Ron nodded in agreement with Elena as he said this. They were discussing their disastrous Defense Against the Dark Arts class, in which their new teacher, Professor Lockhart, had released a swarm of " _freshly caught Cornish pixies"_ into the classroom and then, when failing to return them to their cage, had fled with the rest of the class, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Elena to round them up.

"Honestly, I can't believe you're still defending him!" Elena said. "It's obvious he's a complete idiot!"

"Elena, don't be so disrespectful! He is a professor after all!" Hermione said, falling back on critiquing the other's behaviors. "Even if you think he's a fool you can't go around saying things like that!"

"Hermione, you are such a hypocrite!" Elena cried. "You don't tell me to stop being disrespectful when it comes to Snape! No, you're just upset because your crush happens to be a complete moron!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to reading _Wandering With Werewolves,_ a book assigned by, of course, Gilderoy Lockhart.

"I'm just saying," she muttered under her breath. "That he can't be a fraud when he's got all these books about the amazing things he's done."

"He _claims_ he's done," Harry corrected, but Hermione just huffed.

"Whatever," Elena said icily before turning to Harry and Ron. "I saw you two talking to Professor McGonagall earlier. What was that about?"

"Our detentions," Ron said gloomily. "I've got to polish the silver in the trophy room with Filch next week, and I can't even use magic."

Elena shook her head apologetically. Argus Filch, the caretaker, was loathed by every student in the school.

"Yeah, but he's lucky!" Harry whined. "I've got to help Lockhart answer fan mail!"

"Oh, that's torture!" Elena cringed. "How could McGonagall be so cruel?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elena spent a lot of time over the next few days avoiding Gilderoy Lockhart, who, when he couldn't find Harry to impart some words of wisdom, would ambush Elena with questions _about_ him. She also went out of her way to avoid both Draco and Hermione, the first still bitter about being shoved, and the latter taking every opportunity to "prove" that Lockhart was legitimate. So with one thing and another, Elena was quite glad to reach the weekend.

At seven thirty Saturday evening, she met the boys and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room to see them off for the detentions. Harry and Ron were slouched in the overstuffed armchairs in states of deepest gloom, while Hermione stood behind them, wearing a _well-you-did-break-school-rules_ sort of expression. It was clear that both Harry and Ron felt they'd got the worse deal.

"Filch'll have me there all night," said Ron heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning."

"I'd swap anytime," said Harry hollowly. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail . . . he'll be a nightmare. . . ."

"Well, just look on the bright side," Elena started, but glares from both boys shut her up.

Solemnly, the boys stood up and trudged through the portrait hole to their prospective detentions.

"God, you would think that they were headed to the guillotine," Hermione muttered as the portrait swung closed behind them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Harry!" Elena whispered several hours later.

She'd changed into her pajamas and was napping on one of the common room couches when Harry's entrance had awoken her.

"Harry, I wanted to hear how it went with Lockhart! It wasn't too terrible, was it?"

Elena stopped when she saw the look on Harry's face. He looked badly shaken.

"I need to tell you something," He said quietly. "When I was in Lockhart's office, I heard a… well a voice, I think,"

"A voice?" Elena tilted her head. "Was there someone else in the room?"

"No! No one was in there except me and Lockhart!"

"Well, what did it say?" Elena saw Harry's face get even paler.

"It was like a whisper. I could barely hear it but I'm certain it said ' _come to me...let me rip you...let me tear you...let me kill you…'_ Elena, it was evil!"

Elena was at a loss for words. Finally, she said "And Lockhart?"

"He said he couldn't hear it. Thought I was hearing things because of how tired I was," Harry said darkly.

"Do you think maybe he was right?"

"No, absolutely not," Harry shook his head vigorously. "It was real. I'm sure of it."

"D'you think he was lying, then? But I don't get it — even someone invisible would've had to open the door." Elena frowned and stood up.

"I know, El," said Harry as the two walked towards the separate staircases that took them to their dorms. "I don't get it either."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spat of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup Potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward.

Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. Elena had also had some Pepperup Potion forced down her throat by Percy as well, and she suspected a strongly worded letter from Mrs. Weasley was to blame.

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins, which he had adamantly forced Elena to come see, had swelled to the size of garden sheds.

For many of the students, the gloomy weather caused them to be downcast, but Elena lived for this season.

"Happy Halloween!" Elena jumped out from behind a case of armor to stand in front of Draco Malfoy. She'd hidden in a hallway that was near the entrance to the castle dungeon, where the Slytherin dormitories were.

She was wearing a crudely made mask that she'd fashioned out of an old essay and a bit of string. She'd colored it to resemble Frankenstein's monster, but she really hadn't done the poor beast any justice.

"Merlin, El, you have _got_ to stop doing that!" Draco had dropped his books and had stumbled backwards several paces. "Halloween isn't for another four days! You've been doing this all month!"

Elena and Draco had decided to shelf their frustration with each other after Elena had pulled him into a deserted part of the courtyard the day after Harry's detention to confide in him.

" _Draco, I need to tell you something, but I need you to SWEAR to me that you won't tell anyone else." Elena paced back and forth, still unsure if this was a smart move._

" _What is it?" Draco asked defensively as he leaned against a pillar._

" _Well, it's about Harry. No, wait!" Draco was rolling his eyes and was moving to walk away but Elena pulled him back. "Please, it's important."_

 _Draco could see the intensity of what Elena needed to tell him in her eyes, and he sighed._

" _What's wrong?"_

 _Quickly and in a hushed voice Elena told him what Harry had told her the night before, omitting the detail that Harry had been in detention._

" _I'm only telling you this because I trust you," she finished. "So please don't tell anyone. Not Crabbe, not Goyle, not Snape."_

 _Draco was silent for a while, looking out at the damp, misty courtyard. There were very few people willing to risk the cold and the rain just to enjoy some fresh air. Finally he said "Okay. This stays between us. I promise."_

"Well, if I had it my way, the entire month would be Halloween," Elena pushed her paper mask down so that it hung dejectedly around her neck, and then bent to help Draco retrieve his books from the floor. "And Christmas would just be second Halloween, and Valentine's would be third Halloween, and Easter-"

"Yeah, I get it," Draco said. "What are you trying to be, anyway?"

He pointed at Elena's crumpled mask.

"Well, it was supposed to be Frankenstein's monster," Elena stood and handed Draco his books. "But honestly I think just leaving it as an essay would have been scarier."

"Who's monster?" Draco asked, squinting at the paper around Elena's neck.

"Frankenstein's! God, Draco, pick up a book sometime!" Elena laughed as she walked past Draco. "Anyway, I've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower, but I just figured you hadn't had a scare in a while!"

"You did this yesterday!" Draco called after her as she turned a corner.

"Yeah, exactly!" she yelled over her shoulder. She turned back around just in time to walk right into a tall, black clad she looked up, knowing who's eyes she was about to see.

"Potter," Professor Snape said coldly, his beetle black eyes making Elena shiver. "Tell me, what business do you have being in _this_ part of the castle?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N I am very sorry for the long hiatus I took while writing this story. I will try to be better about that. For those who have stuck with me since the beginning, I appreciate your support very much. Shout out to everyone who has been leaving comments and private messaging me words of encouragement- you are all incredibly sweet. It really does help getting those reviews as they are validation that people are enjoying my work as well as a great motivator.**

 **Thank you all and please enjoy!**

 **-JJ**

"I can't believe we agreed to go to that stupid deathday party," Ron grumbled as he, Hermione, Elena, and Harry climbed out of the portrait hole at seven o'clock on and joined the throng of Gryffindor's headed excitedly down to the Halloween feast.

"A promise is a promise," Hermione reminded Ron bossily. "We told Nick that we'd go, so now we have to."

"Hey, if only I was so lucky as to go to that party," Elena said glumly. "I'm going to be spending the best day of the year in Snape's office."

Her shoulders sagged as she thought of her brief yet devastating encounter with Professor Snape four days previously. For "being a disruptive menace" in the corridor, Snape had taken five points from Gryffindor house, and even worse, given her a detention on the night of her favorite holiday: Halloween.

"What's he even having you do?" Ron asked as the four of then directed their steps towards the dungeons. "Something gross I bet."

"I have to look up and write about wizarding tragedies that happened on Halloween," Elena grumbled. "He's purposefully trying to ruin it for me."

At the passageway leading to Nearly Headless Nick's party, the group separated, Elena heading in the direction of Snape's office, Ron, Hermione, and Harry headed towards what sounded like a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard.

When Elena reached Snape's office door, she hesitated for a moment before knocking. After what seemed like hours, she finally lifted her hand and knocked half-heartedly on the large wooden door.

"Enter," Snape's cold voice said from within.

Elena pushed the door open and grimaced when she saw what was within. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees, and she shivered as she surveyed the room. The whole office was lit only by a few candles sitting on the corners of Snape's desk, causing the corners of the room to be lost in total darkness. Snape had placed a small desk and chair right in front of his own, and placed on top were several rolls of parchment and a pile of large, dusty books.

"You're late," Elena took an involuntary step back as Professor Snape emerged from the shadowy doorway of his ingredients storeroom. "Sit."

Elena obeyed silently and sat down behind the small desk. She picked up on of the large dusty books to examine it, grimacing as the thick and somewhat damp layer of dust squelched beneath her fingers.

"For your punishment, you will choose one wizarding tragedy to write about _in detail_." Snape drawled as he pulled out his own chair to sit at his desk. "There will be no speaking. Begin."

Elena sighed and set the grimy book to the side, then lifted the one underneath it. It was entitled _Callous Crimes: An Insiders Look into the Bloodiest and Most Villainous Events in History_. Flipping to a random page, Elena began to read.

 **The Grand Finale, 1963**

 _On a clear Halloween night in the middle on the United States, Malignant Deweise, a wizard born in Yorkshire but relocated to Indiana in 1954 is believed to have used an extremely powerful blasting curse (Confringo), on a popcorn machine at the Indiana State Fairground. The fiery explosion resulted in the death of 68 muggles and 7 wizards, including Deweise._

 _Witnesses at the scene reported that Deweise had been arguing with the popcorn vendor about the price of his goods when he pulled out his wand. The surviving muggle members of the audience and those who gave witness were later Obliviated, and the general muggle public was led to believe that a leaking propane tank, an unventilated room, and a spark from the popcorn machine was the cause of the devastating explosion which-_

Elena sighed and flipped to another random page.

 **Deadly Decoration, 1988**

 _In a now closed down aquarium in Southern France, Rafael Lajas 39, a muggle who worked at the establishment as a night security guard, was found dead the morning of November 1st. His body was found by a member of the morning janitorial staff, who's frantic call to the authorities alerted an undercover Auror to possible magical meddling. This is because Lajas' body was found decapitated and missing an arm. He had severe wounds to his abdomen and legs, which were later identified as bites from a tiger shark._

 _What was most baffling is that while Lajas' body was found inside what was known as the "shark tunnel", a glass tube running through the shark tank for patrons to enter and view from, there was no evidence of any shark escaping the tank, or any possible way for a shark to reenter the tank if it had escaped._

 _After meetings with the director of the aquarium and an examination of the three captive tiger sharks, the auror who responded to the call deduced that Lajas had been attacked by a Dukuwaqa. The Dukuwaqa, a shapeshifting magical creature native to the warm waters of Fiji that can change from man to shark, was identified and disposed of my magical law enforcement._

Elena shivered. She had never heard of Dukawaqa, but the idea of a creature that could turn into a man or a shark at will made her stomach queasy. She closed _Callous Crimes: An Insiders Look into the Bloodiest and Most Villainous Events in History_ and set it aside. She didn't want to read anything else about terrifying magical monsters.

She placed the book to the side and was picking up the next in the pile when a yellowed piece of parchment slipped out and fell to the ground. As Elena bent to pick it up, a draft of wind from the outside corridor lifted the small piece of paper and sent it fluttering across the stone floor to rest at the base of Snape's desk.

Elena glanced up at Professor Snape. He was writing furiously in a book and was paying no attention to her. Gripping her quill in one hand, she slowly leaned out of her chair and reached for the parchment. Just as her fingertips brushed the edge of the paper, the sound of Snape's chair screeching on the hard floor made her jump.

"What do you think you are doing?" Snape's cold voice echoed around the empty room.

Elena hurriedly grabbed the old parchment with the tips of her fingers and curled it into her fist, then sat back up quickly.

"My quill," she said breathlessly, holding the quill up in her right hand for him to see and pocketing the old parchment with her left. "I dropped it and had to pick it up."

Snape eyed her suspiciously.

Elena tried to keep her face blank and innocent as she quickly reopened _Callous Crimes: An Insiders Look into the Bloodiest and Most Villainous Events in History_ and began to write down the first thing she saw.

Elena didn't get a chance to read the parchment for the rest of her detention. Snape kept standing up to check on her essay progress, criticizing something every time. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he told her to hand in her essay.

Relieved, Elena stood up and placed her essay on his desk. She turned to leave, but paused when she saw the gleam in his black eyes.

"Five points from Gryffindor for your poor penmanship, Potter. I expect finished work to be legible when it is handed in." He stood up and pulled out his wand.

" _Tsk tsk_ , it hardly even seems worth the trouble," he continued.

With a sudden flick of his wand, Elena's essay burst into flames. The edges blackened immediately and curled inwards, the parchment sending up a putrid, greenish smoke as it did so.

Elena glared at Snape over the stinking pile of ash that had once been her essay, but she dared not say anything. The last thing she wanted was another detention.

"You," Snape said in a falsely bright tone. "are excused. Have a good Halloween."

Elena whirled around and stormed out of the office, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her.

She stomped through the corridor and up the stairs towards the direction of Gryffindor Tower, grumbling to herself as she went. She didn't even glance into the Great Hall as she passed, even though she could hear the the loud din of the other Hogwarts students enjoying the Halloween Feast. She strode right by the Great Hall and and up the marble staircase to the first floor, then onto the second.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the water until it was too late. She slipped and fell heavily to the floor, pain shot up her right arm and water began to soak into her robes before she even realized what had happened.

"Ow!" She said loudly, gripping her arm. "What the heck?"

She looked at the floor around her, a large puddle of water stretched across the width of the corridor. As she began picking herself up off the floor, the sound of footsteps behind her made her turn her head. Three figures appeared at the top of the staircase she had just vacated.

"Harry?"

"Elena!" It was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The sprinted over to her and Ron held out a hand. She took it and he pulled her up to stand beside them.

"What's going on? What are you guys doing here? I thought you were at Nick's deathday party?" Elena asked.

"We were, it was miserable," Ron said grouchily.

"It was a good experience!" said Hermione.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I just finished detention with Snape." Elena growled. "He made me write that essay for hours, then he burned it without even reading it!"

"That's terrible!" Hermione exclaimed. "I can't believe he would do that."

"I could." Harry and Ron muttered at the same time.

"What were you doing on the floor?" Harry glanced at Elena's wet robes.

"There's water all over!" Elena pointed at the floor and the giant puddle. It seemed to be growing. "Why were you guys running?"

"I heard it again," Harry said darkly. "The same voice as before. It led me here."

Elena looked at him sharply.

"Here? I didn't hear anything-"

"Yeah, Harry, what _was_ that all about?" Interrupted Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything either…"

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

"Look!"

Something was shining on the wall ahead.

They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been scrawled on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

 **THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N alright like I said, I'm trying to update more often than I have been in the past. Thank you to those that commented on the last chapter, it's nice to see what you all have to say! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!**

 **\- JJ**

"What's that thing — hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.

As the group edged nearer, Elena could feel a cold chill run up her spine.

"Shouldn't we go get someone? A teacher?" She whispered, but the other three shook their heads and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it.

All four of them realized what it was at once, and leaped backward with a splash. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

"Oh, god," Elena whimpered. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know," Hermione whispered, moving slightly closer and peering at the cat. "She might be… Dead."

For a few seconds, they didn't move. Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help —" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends. The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat.

Harry, Ron, Elena, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the heir, beware!"

It was Draco. He had pushed to the front of the crowd and was flanked on either side by his friends Crabbe and Goyle. A bony, black haired girl with a face that resembled a pug was also standing with him.

She let out a screech of a laugh and shouted "You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

"Nice one, Pansy," Crabbe said.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt, by Pansy's yell, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.

And his popping eyes fell on Harry.

"You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —"

"Argus!" Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers.

In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Elena, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Elena rolled her eyes as several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Elena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. He glanced at Elena, and smirked. She glowered back at him as Lockhart hovered around all of them, making suggestions.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…"

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. As much as she detested Filch, Elena couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as she felt for Harry. If Dumbledore believed Filch that Harry had killed Mrs. Norris, Harry would be expelled for sure.

At last Dumbledore straightened up.

"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore. "But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry.

"Harry didn't do anything!" Elena yelled, jumping to her feet. "He would never-"

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly, gesturing for Elena to return to her seat. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.

Elena looked sharply at Harry. He hadn't told her that he had ever been in Filch's office, let alone that he knew Filch was a Squib, whatever that meant.

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, looking from Elena to Dumbledore. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

"It's true!" Hermione squeaked. "We were with him all evening! When would he have had the time-"

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Elena's sense of foreboding increased; she was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do Harry any good.

"While I can vouch for Miss Potter's whereabouts- she was serving a detention with me until a quarter of an hour ago-I believe Mr. Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the deathday party. "… there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there —"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

Ron, Elena, and Hermione looked at Harry.

"Because — because —" Harry said, and Elena could tell he was searching desperately for a good excuse.

"Because they promised to meet me in the Gryffindor common room as soon as they were done at the deathday party!" Elena interjected quickly, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her in relief.

"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their I certainly didn't provide _you_ with any refreshments in my office."

"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach gave a huge rumble.

Snape's nasty smile widened.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"That's not fair!" Said Elena angrily. "He didn't do anything!"

"Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Elena could see that Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.

Snape looked furious.

So did Filch.

"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"

Elena thought she saw Professor McGonagall roll her eyes.

"Excuse me," said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause. "You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Elena, Ron, and Hermione.

They left as quickly as they could without actually running. When they were a floor up from Lockhart's office, they turned into an empty classroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Elena squinted at her brother and her friends' darkened faces.

"D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?" Harry asked.

"No," said Ron, without hesitation. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

Something in Ron's voice made Elena ask, "You do believe him, don't you?"

"'Course I do," said Ron quickly. "But — you must admit it's weird…"

"I know it's weird," said Harry. "The whole thing's weird."

"Yeah, and what was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber Has Been Opened… What's that supposed to mean?" Elena whispered.

"You know, it rings a sort of bell," said Ron slowly. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might've been Bill…"

"And what on earth's a Squib?" said Harry.

Elena had been wondering the same thing. To her surprise, Ron stifled a snicker.

"Well — it's not funny really — but as it's Filch," he said. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much."

Ron gave a satisfied smile.

"So he's bitter." Hermione muttered darkly.

A clock chimed somewhere.

"Midnight," said Harry. "We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

Nodding in agreement, Elena soundlessly pushed the classroom door open and the four of them slipped out into the dim corridor, and walked hurriedly in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.


End file.
